A nuclear fusion breakthrough could spell good news for clean energy — and MENA: Scientists at a California lab have reportedly made a breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy, paving the way for an “abundant zero-carbon alternative to fossil fuels,” the Financial Times reports, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

In a nutshell: A recent experiment at the lab saw the first ever net energy gain — meaning more energy was produced than consumed — from a fusion reaction. Fusion power is high-energy and produces virtually no carbon and no radioactive waste, but traditionally, reactions have always consumed more energy than they produced. In the recent experiment, an estimated 2.5 megajoules of energy was produced — that’s 120% of the 2.1 megajoules of energy used to power the reaction. This could be a major step towards providing an alternative to fossil fuels and conventional nuclear energy, the FT notes.

SOUND SMART- Nuclear fusion is a reaction that could potentially generate unlimited energy by fusing atoms’ nuclei — as opposed to splitting the nuclei in a conventional nuclear fission reaction. Fusion reactions, which power stars, need temperatures equivalent to 100-200 mn °C, so it had been relegated to the realm of science fiction. The total addressable market for the energy source is on the order of USD 1 tn per year, former CEO of General Fusion Christofer Mowry told Bloomberg (watch, runtime: 20:38).

The UK previously made some strides in this area, having greenlit the world’s first fusion station in October. The caveat: The UK government said that there are “no guarantees” that the GBP 20 bn plant, which is set to be complete in 2040, will work.

And the technology is receiving considerable investments from governments and VCs globally. Canadian startup General Fusion, founded in 2002, has attracted investors such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Another nuclear fusion startup creating a lot of buzz is Helion Energy, which raised USD 500 mn in its series E funding round, and has attracted renowned investors such as co-founder of Paypal Peter Thiel and former president of Y Combinator Sam Altman, according to Bloomberg Quicktake (watch, runtime: 22:31).

THE HOMETOWN ANGLE- Bill Gates thinks MENA can be a hub for nuclear energy: Bill Gates emphasized the impact MENA nuclear power projects — such as the Barakah nuclear energy plant in the UAE — have in helping accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy sources, the National reported in October.

The region could leapfrog into fusion: MENA could lead by developing nuclear fusion reactors that “are safe and cheaper than traditional energy sources,” Gates noted. But up until yesterday, researchers have been able to generate well beyond 100 mn °C during experiments, but were unable to sustain fusion power for more than five seconds.

GO DEEPER- Check out this Twitter thread on why nuclear fusion is much closer to becoming reality than we think.