Comment by ReptileMan

Doubtful. While fusion is a fascinating engineering problem and has niche uses, it's unlikely to be competitive in either of the two big energy domains: electricity generation and transport. Fusion requires extremely large, extremely complicated machines that share many of the issues of fission reactors but more extreme and with decades less operational experience. While fusion has better PR than fission, which could lead to some real cost savings from less regulation, it's unlikely to be enough to be cost competitive with a fission reactor of the same output, nonetheless the various other options that have rendered fission uncompetitive. Even with extensive process improvements to reduce cost, the other options will be decreasing in cost at a faster rate due to their wider adoption and lower barrier to entry. It's really tough for artificial fusion to compete with the free fusion reactor in the sky. Fusion will probably make its way into the ecosystem but only as one player, and a minor one at that.

Agreed. Multi-multi billion. It is a fundamental change in the global energy dynamic -- including the fact that D-T reactors are still use heat exchange which means heat is also a useful output product for industrial purposes. MSRs are really good for this but of course are fission not fusion reactors.

It borders on a national security issue.

This is a scientific project at a state-funded lab, not a capitalist project.