Italian energy giant Eni is setting its sights on bringing a commercial thermonuclear power plant to Europe — potentially as early as the early 2040s (or even sooner). The company is partnering with U.S.-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), in which Eni has already invested. Eni sees this as a major strategic pivot, describing fusion as its «next refinery». Beyond just generating power, the company is also developing the fuel cycle: it’s working on recovering, purifying, and reusing tritium and deuterium, the key fuels for fusion reactions. To support this, Eni recently formed a joint venture with the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
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