Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate

Enabling the nation's energy future

The Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate (FFESD) addresses compelling challenges in fission and fusion energy systems, enabling Oak Ridge National Laboratory to pursue national priorities in fusion energy and current and advanced nuclear research, development, and deployment.

Leading innovation in fusion and fission energy

FFESD traces its roots to the X-10 Graphite Reactor, the world’s first continuously operated nuclear reactor, and to early innovations in fusion research and engineering. The directorate’s unique facilities, capabilities, and talented scientists and engineers are currently tackling such challenges as extended operations of the current US nuclear reactor fleet; investigating economical and flexible advanced reactor systems; and making fusion energy a viable power source. The directorate leverages synergies between fusion and fission across domestic and international programs.

Matt Dessel oversees the placement of a large cylindrical superconducting magnet at ORNL’s Material Plasma Exposure Experiment facility.

A building block for fusion reactors

The directorate leads the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), a future world-leading capability that will produce the extreme plasma environments to test materials for use in fusion energy devices.

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