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Where The Department of Energy Is Investing Submitted by Tight Spreads The DOE has been flooding their sites with white-papers and latest Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap (FS&T Roadmap) are not just a scientific plan, but an industrial policy designed to transition fusion from the laboratory to the commercial market by the mid-2030s. The DOE has prioritized its actions to align with the aggressive “fast-track” development cycles of nuclear fission and fusion companies: Near-Term (Next 2-3 Years): Digitalization & Infrastructure Prep AI-Fusion Convergence: Launch the AI-Fusion Digital Convergence Platform to use machine learning to speed up materials discovery and predict plasma behavior. Infrastructure Start: Build small-to-medium test facilities and complete the design for large-scale “First-of-a-Kind” (FOAK) facilities. Regulatory Frameworks: Finalize licensing and safety standards to give investors, consumers, and citizens alike certainty on how these plants will be regulated. Mid-Term (3-5 Years): Prototype Integration Pilot Plant Construction: Support the private sector in constructing the first fusion pilot plants (FPPs). Fuel & Materials Testing: Delivery of integration platforms for testing tritium fuel cycles and materials under intense radiation. Supply Chain Seeding: Support domestic manufacturing for high-heat components and superconducting magnets. Long-Term (5-10 Years): Grid Delivery & Scale-Up Commercial Operation: The first fleet of pilot plants begins delivering power to the grid. Commercial Maturity: Expand public infrastructure to support a global market, focusing on lowering the levelized cost of energy to make fusion competitive with other generation technologies today. The Six Core Technical Challenge Areas These are the gaps the DOE is prioritizing through its public research budget to ensure relevant companies succeed. Structural Materials: Developing metals that won’t become brittle or weak after years of intense neutron bombardment. Metals such as Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steels can withstand intense neutron damage without swelling or becoming brittle. Plasma-Facing Components (PFCs): Creating “first walls” that can survive heat fluxes equivalent to the surface of the sun. Confinement Systems: Optimizing magnets and lasers to hold the superheated fuel stable for long periods. Relevant companies: BRKR, COHR Fuel Cycle & Tritium Processing: Establishing a closed loop fuel system to breed, recover, and recycle tritium fuel, as it is extremely scarce in nature. Relevant companies: OKLO, ASPI, BWXT Blankets: Engineering the wrapper around the reactor that captures heat for electricity and breeds the fuel. Plant Engineering & Integration: Linking a fusion reactor to standard turbines and maintenance via robotics. Relevant companies: NVDA, IBM The Future of Energy: Understanding the Mechanics of Fusion To grasp the next frontier of the energy transition, we need to distinguish between the nuclear power we use today and the “holy grail” of energy: Nuclear Fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process of combining two light atomic nuclei to form a single, heavier nucleus. This process releases a massive amount of energy as it typically uses two hydrogen isotopes for fuel: Deuterium and Tritium (D-T fuel). Nuclear Fission is the splitting of heavy atoms, such as the current method of commercial nuclear power plants with Uranium. What is Plasma? We are typically taught that there are three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is the fourth state, and it is the most common form of matter in the visible universe. Plasma is created when a gas is heated to such extreme temperatures that the electrons are stripped away from their parent atoms. This results in an “ionized” gas—a hot, soup-like mixture of free-moving positively charged nuclei (ions) and negatively charged electrons. It is highly conductive and can be manipulated and shaped by magnetic fields.…

NatGas Futs Erupt As Arctic Air Invasion Penetrates Deep Into US South US natural gas futures erupted Monday morning as some of the coldest Arctic air of the Northern Hemisphere winter season poured into the eastern half of the Lower 48. Snow threats across the region are increasing through the end of the month. Average temperatures across Washington, DC, are plunging and could average around 10°F by the weekend. This cold blast is far more extreme than the one in the first half of December. Notably, this period typically coincides with the most intense part of winter. "DANGEROUS COLD is likely on Saturday across much of the United States, with wind chills forecasted to fall below zero for over 100 million people," weather observer Max Velocity wrote on X. "Additionally, wind chills could be as low as 60 DEGREES below zero in the far Northern Plains at this same time. This dangerous cold will likely set up a rare Southern USA Winter Storm on Friday and Saturday." DANGEROUS COLD is likely on Saturday across much of the United States, with wind chills forecasted to fall below zero for over 100 million people. Additionally, wind chills could be as low as 60 DEGREES below zero in the far Northern Plains at this same time. This dangerous cold… pic.twitter.com/xbtm2nsQdv — Max Velocity (@MaxVelocityWX) January 19, 2026 Private weather forecaster BAM Weather warns of increasing risks of winter activity across the eastern half of the US this week: A storm will develep Friday night into Saturday across the deep south and track northeast with a tap to the Gulf of America allowing plentiful moisture to produce a large area of a high impact winter storm. Strong high pressure will come south from Canada and bring Arctic air with it allowing there to be plenty of cold air available to produce snow and ice across several thousands of miles in the central and eastern US. Winter Storm Scenario #1 Winter Storm Scenario #2 The cold blast has sent heating demand through the roof. NatGas futures in the US are up 18% as of early Monday, the largest intra-day jump since October 2024. NatGas prices surging again. Cold air is in place. The weather pattern is set. Map showing the chances for at least three inches of snow through Monday. That's a lot of real estate ❄️ High chances for accumulating snow in the Southern Plains, Mid-South, Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic this weekend. Lots of ice possible in the South. pic.twitter.com/yrtTYn4h8F — Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 19, 2026 All eyes are on the next possible major snowstorm targeting the Southern Plains, Mid-South, Appalachians, and Mid-Atlantic by next week. Tyler Durden Mon, 01/19/2026 - 10:55

Annoncé dans le viseur de l’ASSE par L’Équipe, Gessime Yassine (20 ans) n’a en réalité jamais été une cible accessible pour les Verts sur ce mercato hivernal. But! est en mesure de rétablir précisément la chronologie d’un dossier déjà ficelé… loin de Saint-Étienne. Encore raté. Une frange des supporters de l’ASSE a fustigé ce week-end ... Lire plus The post ASSE Mercato – INFO BUT! : toute la vérité sur le dossier Gessime Yassine (RC Strasbourg) first appeared on But! Football Club.

L’arrivée d’Endrick en Ligue 1, sous les couleurs de l’OL, n’a pas seulement fait trembler le Rhône. Elle a aussi provoqué une réaction immédiate à Marseille, où l’OM s’est vu contraint d’activer un plan B… du côté du Real Madrid. Longtemps intéressé par Endrick, l’OM a finalement vu l’OL rafler la mise en obtenant le ... Lire plus The post OL Mercato : Endrick force l’OM à recruter un buteur du Real Madrid ! first appeared on But! Football Club.

Selon Fabrizio Romano, l’OM serait tout poche de boucler l’arrivée de Quinten Timber, milieu axial de Feyenoord (24 ans). L’OM est sur le point de frapper un très gros coup sur le marché des transferts. Selon Fabrizio Romano, les discussions sont entrées dans leur phase finale pour l’arrivée de Quinten Timber, cadre de Feyenoord et ... Lire plus The post OM Mercato : Fabrizio Romano annonce l’arrivée d’un crack de Feyenoord dans les 24 heures ! first appeared on But! Football Club.