US aims to create nuclear fusion facility within 10 years, Energy chief Granholm says

By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN and MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says nuclear fusion is a pioneering technology and the Biden administration wants to harness it as part of the transition to clean energy. Biden wants to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years, Granholm said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press in Vienna on Monday. Fusion works by pressing hydrogen atoms into each other with such force that they combine into helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy and heat. Unlike other nuclear reactions, it doesn’t create radioactive waste. Granholm also praised the role of the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog in verifying that states live up to their international commitments.