San Diego company plans to build a nuclear fusion plant. Will the pilot program work?
A rendering of a nuclear fusion pilot plant proposed by San Diego- based General Atomics. - General Atomics/TNS

SAN DIEGO — For centuries, the world was lit, in the words of a best-selling book, only by fire. Will the not-too-distant future see a world powered largely by fusion? Global interest, research and investment in nuclear fusion is at an all-time high and San Diego-based General Atomics has announced a program to design, build and operate a pilot plant aimed at taking a crucial step toward making the long sought-after potential of nuclear fusion a reality — providing a warming planet a power source that is practically limitless, emissions-free, safe and cost-effective. "I think fusion-generated ...