The US should set the ambitious goal of developing a pilot fusion power plant, marking what would be an important step toward an American fusion energy industry, a report says.

The report was produced by a group of researchers from academia, government labs, and industry.

It identifies high-priority scientific needs that can help fill gaps in fusion knowledge and help the drive to making fusion a practical energy source. It will be used by the US Department of Energy’s fusion energy sciences advisory committee as it undertakes a new phase of planning for its fusion energy sciences program, the primary US source of fusion research funding.