US-based fusion energy technology developer Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) secured $84m on Tuesday in a series A2 round featuring oil and gas suppliers Equinor and Eni.
The round was led by Temasek and included Devonshire Investors – part of investment and financial services group Fidelity – as well as Hostplus, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Future Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Moore Strategic Ventures, Safar Partners, Schooner Capital, Starlight Ventures, The Engine and unnamed additional backers.
Eni took part through its Eni Next unit, having provided $50m for the company’s $115m series A round, which closed in June 2019.
The round also featured The Engine, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Future Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Safar Partners, Schooner Capital and Starlight Ventures. Earlier CFS backers include Beni Venture Capital, according to its website’s portfolio page.
CFS is working on a system intended to produce nuclear fusion, a still-hypothetical means of electricity generation where two nuclei spliced together would theoretically release vast amounts of energy.
The startup’s approach leverages a relatively recent innovation known as high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets as the potential basis for size and cost-efficient nuclear fusion plants capable of maintaining nuclei-containing plasma at sufficient density and heat.
The funding will assist development priorities including new headquarters and increased manufacturing capacity as CFS prepares to build its first fusion power unit, dubbed Sparc.
Proceeds will also support business development surrounding the HTS magnets ahead of a pilot fusion test with 20 such magnets in 2021.