The US Department of Energy said Sunday it would announce a major scientific breakthrough this week after media reported a federal laboratory had recently achieved a major milestone in nuclear fusion research.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a "net energy gain" from an experimental fusion reactor, according to a report.
It would be the first time that researchers have been able to produce more energy in a fusion reaction than was consumed during the process.
The Energy Department and LLNL told Agence France-Presse that they couldn't comment or provide confirmation on the report, but that the US Energy Secretary would make a major scientific breakthrough on Tuesday.
The LLNL spokesman said that their analysis is still going on.
She said that they would share more on Tuesday when the process is over.
The fusion reaction produced a 120 percent net energy gain, according to three people with knowledge of the preliminary results.
A senior fusion scientist told the Washington Post that it was only a matter of time before it happened.
Nuclear fusion is thought to be a potential energy of the future as it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.
Ted Lieu is a member of Congress from California.
The technique of fusion is different from the one used in nuclear power plants.
The fusion facility is made up of almost 200 lasers the size of three football fields, which bombard a tiny spot with high levels of energy to initiate a fusion reaction.
Agence France- Presse.
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