OLYMPIA — A bipartisan bill creating an alternative siting pathway for fusion power projects passed the Senate unanimously Wednesday.
House Bill 1018, the companion to legislation originally introduced by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds), allows fusion energy projects to use the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council’s centralized permitting process that other energy facilities, like wind and solar, can already opt in to.
Fusion energy uses extreme heat and pressure to “fuse” atoms together, releasing immense energy, which has the potential to supply abundant, steady, renewable electricity.
“We are on the verge of yet another breakthrough in the clean energy revolution, and it’s being led by some incredible companies located here in Washington state,” Liias said. “This is an exciting technology, and it’s just another example of how we’re doing work on both sides of the Cascades to move all our communities forward.”
Everett-based fusion company Helion recently announced plans to build the world’s first fusion energy power plant near Wenatchee by 2028. The bill will help position the state as an international industry leader.
In testimony on the Liias companion to HB 1018, Tom Bugert, Helion’s state and public affairs representative, said the bill was “a great way to advance Washington’s clean energy goals” and “reinforce us as a global hub for clean energy.”
Fusion is not the same as fission — the atom-splitting process used in current nuclear power plants. Compared to fission, fusion produces low-level radioactive material that does not require long-term storage. Fusion also has no risk of meltdown because the process automatically shuts down if the system becomes unstable.