Rachael Zisk

Helion announced this week that it has raised a $425M Series F round. The Washington-based fusion company, famously backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, is working to develop commercial fusion on a much shorter timeline than its competitors.

The US and its new DOGE office aren't the only ones slashing government programs in the name of efficiency and productivity. The UK has taken up the gauntlet, too.

X-energy has officially closed its Series C-1 funding round, which was announced publicly in October when Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund and partners committed ~$500M. The grand total for the round is a whopping $700M, which is expected to go toward reactor development and licensing, building the TRISO-X fuel facility, and pursuing commercialization opportunities for the company's SMR.

No man is an island, and the same goes for commercial fusion developers. Turns out there's no need to go it alone.

When you ask an advanced nuclear company about its biggest struggle in getting a reactor to market, the answer is almost always the regulatory process. (Believe us—we've asked.)

Valar Atomics looks to answer that question by using nuclear reactors to create hydrocarbons that can replace traditional oil and gas-based fuels. This week, the company raised a $19M seed round, reached a tech milestone, and announced a major partnership (more on that later).

That comes as no surprise to the advanced nuclear sector, which is all too familiar with the extended timelines and high price of licensing its tech. But now, it appears the NRC has heard the industry's pleas.

In a country where it's tough to find broad bipartisan support for most anything, fusion energy has managed to buck the trend. At least, that's how it sounded from the stage Wednesday afternoon at the Fusion Industry Association meeting, where the US House Fusion Energy Caucus co-chairs and vice chairs reassured the industry that they're all in on fusion.

The Lone Star State is positioning itself as the most pro-nuclear state in the union, and industry is taking notice. The latest to take up the reins in Texas: microreactor developer Last Energy.

The problem of Yucca Mountain has once again reared its ugly head—this time, in the form of the Supreme Court case Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas. The case deals with a license the NRC awarded to allow the construction of a private, temporary nuclear waste storage facility in the Permian Basin.