How close are we to achieving nuclear fusion power?

The answer

Nuclear fusion - merging hydrogen atoms at extreme temperatures to release energy - promises virtually limitless clean power with no long-lived radioactive waste. In December 2022, the National Ignition Facility achieved ignition for the first time, producing more fusion energy than the laser energy used to trigger it. The ITER reactor in France, a $22 billion international project, aims to demonstrate sustained fusion by the 2030s. However, engineering a commercial reactor that produces more energy than it consumes continuously remains an enormous challenge - fusion has been '30 years away' for the past 60 years.