Nuclear
Molly Glick
Molly Glick
Energy Central Team
·Posted in Nuclear
Wed, Apr 8

While floating energy budget cuts, Washington is writing huge checks for longshot tech.

  • ARPA-E is set to pour $135M into fusion over the next 18 months, while DARPA just handed Avalanche Energy $5.2M to develop radiovoltaics that could turn fusion’s alpha radiation into usable electricity.

  • DOE is also rolling out up to $69M for critical minerals processing, including lithium extraction from geothermal brines and clays. 

  • The throughline: Federal agencies are still funding the unglamorous engineering work that sits between “fusion breakthrough” headlines and a commercial power plant. The catch? This support looks increasingly piecemeal. President Trump's 2027 budget proposal aims to slash DOE fusion research by around $50M.

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