Inertia Aims to Develop Fusion Power Plants Following LLNL Breakthrough

Inertia, a startup based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is focused on converting the 2022 fusion ignition milestone achieved by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) into operational power plants. The company has secured nearly 200 patents from LLNL and plans to develop more powerful, compact lasers along with mass-producing fusion fuel targets.

Prototypes are expected within 18 months, with pre-commercial assembly lines in 3-4 years, leading to a planned 1.5 GW power plant in approximately 12 years. This development could position Inertia as a key player in the fusion energy sector, competing against others like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which are exploring magnetic confinement methods.