General Atomics Will Design First Full-Scale Fusion Blanket Test Facility

General Atomics is working with the U.S. Department of Energy to test a fusion “blanket,” which lines the inside of a fusion vessel. They use lithium-based materials to capture energy and produce tritium. Tritium is the fuel that keeps the fusion reaction running. However, the problem is that no company or organization has tested one of these blankets at full scale.

“This is an important phase for fusion energy in the United States,” said Dr. Anantha Krishnan, senior vice president of the General Atomics Energy Group. “No one has tested a fusion blanket at this scale. While there are more research and development challenges ahead, a BCTF brings us closer to turning fusion from proven science into practical, sustainable power.”

Building the Test Site

The Department of Energy provided “seed” money to the Idaho National Laboratory to begin the design of a new Fusion Blanket Component Test Facility. General Atomics, Kyoto Fusioneering, and UC San Diego are all partnering for this project.

“This collaboration marks a critical step toward realizing fusion’s promise,” said Pattrick Calderoni, fusion program lead at Idaho National Laboratory. “A BCTF will enable us to test and qualify the components that will make fusion power possible.”

The plan is to build the facility at General Atomics’ Magnet Technologies Center, where a large superconducting magnet was recently built. Using an existing site allows engineers to move more quickly if the project is approved for full construction. This facility is needed to test whether the blanket fluids can handle intense heat, withstand mechanical stress, and safely extract fuel at power plant levels.

“The Blanket Test Facility would give the fusion community the speed and scale needed to de-risk next-generation blanket designs,” said Dr. Brian Grierson, director of Fusion Energy Technologies at General Atomics. “It’s where innovation meets practicality, and where we transform theory into real-world systems.”

A Growing Hub for Fusion

Building this test site will add to a growing fusion network in San Diego, California. The area already has the nation’s largest magnetic-fusion testbed and major university programs. Recently, the state also passed a bill to help speed up commercial fusion technology.

“California, and San Diego in particular, is quickly becoming an epicenter of the fusion economy,” said Dr. Wayne Solomon, vice president of Magnetic Fusion Energy at General Atomics. “A Blanket Test Facility would represent the next stage in turning scientific discovery into sustainable power.”