Fusion Manufacturer Opens Los Lunas Assembly Hub, Promises Local Jobs

Pacific Fusion formally opened a Los Lunas assembly and manufacturing center on December 18, taking the south end of the former Merillat facility in Los Morros Business Park to produce modular components for its fusion demonstration system. The roughly 200,000 square foot facility will assemble and test parts that are planned to be transported to a Mesa del Sol campus for final integration and demonstration. Company leaders and local officials highlighted the project s potential economic impact for Valencia County and the state.

The Los Lunas center is already operating with a small initial staff and will scale production as timelines at the Mesa del Sol site advance. Pacific Fusion expects to hire about 100 high paying positions by the end of 2026, and the company has estimated broader statewide economic benefits over the coming decade as supply chain activity and related services expand. No power generation will occur at the Los Lunas site, which is dedicated to manufacturing and assembly of modular components.

Technically the company is pursuing a modular pulser driven inertial fusion approach. In general terms that means the technology relies on rapid high energy pulses to compress fuel within modular units so the assembled demonstration system can test fusion processes. The Los Lunas facility is conceived to focus on producing those repeatable modules rather than operating as a power plant, with final assembly and demonstration activity concentrated at Mesa del Sol.

For Valencia County the immediate effects are jobs and industrial activity in an existing business park, along with secondary demand for local services, logistics and subcontracting work. The commitment to hire roughly 100 workers within a year places a premium on local workforce training and recruitment, and underscores ongoing efforts by regional leaders to attract advanced manufacturing and clean energy related firms.

From an economic perspective the project fits broader trends of investment in energy innovation and advanced manufacturing, where early stage industrial activity concentrates in assembly and testing before demonstration and commercialization. The realization of projected statewide benefits will depend on the pace of Mesa del Sol development, the company s procurement of skilled labor, and wider market demand for fusion related technologies.