Pacific Fusion, a clean energy startup based in Fremont, has identified Alameda Point as a potential site to build a new 12-acre headquarters facility to advance nuclear fusion research and development. Dozens of community members attended a town hall forum at the College of Alameda on Thursday, May 1, where staff from the City of Alameda and Pacific Fusion joined forces to provide the latest project updates and make the case for moving forward with a proposed development in Alameda.
Alameda City Manager Jennifer Ott kicked off the presentation by providing context behind the City’s efforts to secure Pacific Fusion as one of the first new tenants in the commercial Enterprise District of Alameda Point. In February, City Council approved an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with the company. Ott lauded the proposal as a critical opportunity to bring as many as 250 permanent jobs back to the area and create a catalyst for future commercial development in the District.
“When the Base closed in 1997, the City lost 18,000 jobs,” Ott said. “From the City’s perspective…we are trying to fulfill that vision of what was lost. This community is very committed to resiliency, to clean energy, to sustainability, and here we have a potential user that can come, bring jobs back, and do it in a way that could potentially change energy for the world. … One of the biggest hurdles to attracting more jobs is putting in the sewer and water in the ground that is so expensive. And if we can get a user like this that helps us do that, then that unlocks the rest of this area.”
After Ott concluded her opening remarks, founders from Pacific Fusion jointly took the stage to highlight the company’s interest in building a nuclear fusion demonstration system in Alameda and explain fusion technology.
“We think that our mission is really aligned with the values of the City,” said Chief Operating Officer Carrie Von Muench. She expressed excitement for the business and infrastructure benefits that would accompany the development, as well as gratitude to City staff for their eagerness to collaborate with the company. “We hope that as we build Pacific Fusion, as we demonstrate that fusion power can scale, we can bring Alameda to the forefront of fusion and clean energy nationwide.”
Chief Technology Officer Keith LeChien provided town hall attendees with a crash course on nuclear fusion, describing it as the process that “powers our sun and stars.” Using a certain amount of energy, fusion combines two different hydrogen isotopes—deuterium, which can be extracted from seawater, and tritium, which is radioactive and can be produced in the facility—in a reaction to create even more energy, with helium as a byproduct. Though the fusion process has been known for over 100 years, recent scientific breakthroughs have made fusion energy possible and practical to talk about, according to LeChien.
He also emphasized that fusion is clean, cannot melt down, and results in little radioactive waste, unlike the nuclear fission process, which is used in nuclear power plants and involves splitting a large, unstable atomic nucleus into smaller nuclei. The company is working with the City of Alameda and the California Department of Public Health to ensure compliance with all necessary guidance and regulations in handling and disposing of small quantities of radiological waste.
Following the presentation, attendees had the chance to view informational posters and engage speakers with questions. Many had at least a few reservations about repercussions stemming from the project and its technology—a self-proclaimed energy hobbyist in attendance referred to fusion as a “boondoggle”—but most attendees generally appreciated the economic benefits.
Councilmember Greg Boller, who was joined by fellow Councilmember Tracy Jensen at the event, expressed support for the project as a “tipping point to economic prosperity” in the Enterprise District.
Bayport resident James Evans agreed, calling it a “laudable” effort by the City to elevate the former base. But he did have one key concern.
“What they will have is a nuclear reactor, designed to create a reaction,” he said, indicating that he was “very concerned” about the impact of a reactor on nearby property values.
In addition to the possible Alameda site, Pacific Fusion is looking into an alternative location in Livermore. Courtney Richardson, Infrastructure Lead at Pacific Fusion, told the Alameda Post that factors that could sway the company’s decision to choose one city over the other include the cost of construction and electricity, as well as the characteristics of the community in either location.
For now, the best Alameda can do is “put its best foot forward” and emphasize the values alignment in sustainability and clean energy, according to City Manager Ott.
Pacific Fusion is aiming to have the facility online by mid-2028. Upcoming opportunities for public input and involvement include a study session during the Planning Board meeting on Monday, May 12, and at Family Fusion Day at the REAP Climate Center on Saturday, May 31.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der.
