A visualization of the SPARC tokamak experiment. (Image: Ken Filar/PSFC Research Affiliate/www.kennethfilar.com)
In its June 30 announcement of a new deal to purchase 200 MW from Commonwealth Fusion Systems' (CFS) first ARC fusion power plant planned for Virginia, Google called it “the largest direct corporate offtake agreement for fusion energy” ever. While Google made no mention of its plans for the power, its press release noted that clean energy is needed to reduce data center emissions.
SPARC vs. ARC: SPARC is CFS’s demonstration fusion tokamak, currently under construction at its headquarters in Devens, Mass.
ARC, meanwhile, is the name CFS has given to its fusion power design to be built on SPARC’s (projected) success in attaining commercially viable fusion. “The [ARC] agreement between Google and CFS is anchored in CFS’s SPARC achieving net fusion energy," which is expected in 2027, according to CFS.
The ARC plant aims to produce 400 MW, with the first such plant planned for Chesterfield County in Virginia. CFS plans to connect the plant to the grid by the “early 2030s,” according to the company.
Plans for a larger fleet have not been explicitly laid out, but CFS's talk of scaling up and of Google securing the right to electric power from future plants point to the two companies envisioning a domestic fusion power fleet in the future. “By entering into this agreement with CFS, we hope to help prove out and scale a promising pathway toward commercial fusion power,” said Michael Terrell, head of advanced energy at Google.
In addition, Google was a participant in a past round of funding for CFS. The results of that funding round, announced by CFS in 2021, raised $1.8 billion from investors that also included Bill Gates, Soros Fund Management, and a major university endowment, among others, according to CFS.
Quotable: “Fusion power is within our grasp, thanks in part to forward-thinking partners like Google, a recognized technology pioneer across industries,” said Bob Mumgaard, CEO and cofounder of CFS. “Our strategic deal with Google is the first of many as we move to demonstrate fusion energy from SPARC and then bring our first power plant on line.”
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