Fusion Net-Energy Gain Replicated Five Consecutive Times

Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility has now achieved net-energy gain in five consecutive inertial confinement fusion shots, with the highest reaching 3.88 MJ output for 2.05 MJ input. Engineers say reproducibility is the key milestone for moving from physics demonstration to engineering pilot, with a 100 MW pilot plant feasibility study scheduled for 2027.