Major Breakthrough In Pursuit Of Limitless Clean Power: In A First, US Scientists Achieve Net Energy Gain In Fusion Reaction

US government scientists have reportedly achieved a net energy gain in a fusion reaction, a long-sought milestone.

The breakthrough is seen as a potential game-changer in the pursuit of limitless, zero-carbon power.

No research group has previously been able to produce more energy from a fusion reaction than it consumes.

The experiment was carried out by the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which used a process called inertial confinement fusion. This involves bombarding a tiny pellet of hydrogen plasma with lasers.

The fusion reaction produced about 2.5 megajoules of energy, around 120 per cent of the amount of energy used in the lasers. Many scientists believe fusion power stations are still decades away.

The US Department of Energy has announced that a major scientific breakthrough has been made at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The laboratory, according to a Financial Times report, confirmed that a successful experiment had recently taken place at its National Ignition Facility but said that analysis of the results was ongoing.

If confirmed, this breakthrough will be a moment of history, as scientists have been trying to achieve fusion power since the 1950s.