A bipartisan bill creating an alternative siting pathway for fusion power projects recently passed the Washington State Senate unanimously.
House Bill 1018, the companion to legislation originally introduced by Sen. Marko Liias, allows fusion energy projects to use the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council’s centralized permitting process that other energy facilities, like wind and solar, can already opt in to.
Fusion energy uses extreme heat and pressure to “fuse” atoms together, releasing immense energy, which has the potential to supply abundant, steady, renewable electricity.
Everett-based fusion company Helion recently announced plans to build the world’s first fusion energy power plant near Wenatchee by 2028.
In testimony on the Liias companion to HB 1018, Tom Bugert, Helion’s state and public affairs representative, said the bill was “a great way to advance Washington’s clean energy goals” and “reinforce us as a global hub for clean energy.”
A recent Seattle Times article noted that Helion is looking to develop a 50-megawatt fusion power plant on land in Malaga owned by Chelan Public Utility District.
