Powering Massachusetts’ Clean Energy Future

Massachusetts stands at the forefront of clean energy innovation, with a long-standing legacy in nuclear research and academic leadership. Building on this foundation, the Commonwealth is poised to lead the development of a regional ecosystem for advanced nuclear and fusion energy technologies. The Massachusetts Roadmap for Advanced Nuclear and Fusion Energy outlines a strategic vision for state leadership across policy, infrastructure, workforce development and public engagement.

By assessing current capabilities, identifying gaps and fostering collaboration among academia, industry, government and communities, the Roadmap aims to position Massachusetts as a national and global leader in the transition to clean, advanced energy systems.

The Roadmap is led by UMass Lowell's Sukesh Aghara, professor and director of the Nuclear Engineering and Science program, with support from the Healey-Driscoll Administration.

The roadmap evolved through a series of foundational pillars, stakeholder engagement activities, research synthesis, and public discussions. These efforts led to the identification of four Core Insights, which are now informing strategic themes, public panels, and regional coordination efforts.

The roadmap evolved through a series of foundational pillars, stakeholder engagement activities, research synthesis, and public discussions. These efforts led to the identification of four Core Insights, which are now informing strategic themes, public panels, and regional coordination efforts.  Our vision for next steps features the following: 

  1. Establish a State-Recognized Nuclear and Fusion Leadership Hub
  2. Leverage and Align Massachusetts’ Educational and Nuclear Workforce Strengths
  3. Advance Climate Leadership, Winter Reliability, and Long-Term Affordability
  4. Align State Policy and Regional Efforts

New England’s discussions on reliability, workforce development, innovation ecosystems, and coordinated policy planning align with the goals of the Roadmap. The New England Governors’ joint statement on exploring advanced nuclear energy reflects a growing regional interest in collaborative approaches to evaluating advanced nuclear and fusion technologies. 

The roadmap brings together universities, industry, policymakers, labor organizations, utilities, environmental organizations, community stakeholders and energy experts to support informed dialogue, regional coordination and evidence-based evaluation of emerging advanced energy technologies.  

Organized around foundational pillars, the roadmap seeks to establish a common factual foundation while identifying opportunities, challenges, and strategic considerations for the Commonwealth and the region.  

The initiative has already supported broad stakeholder engagement across New England and aligns with growing regional discussions regarding energy reliability, decarbonization, innovation ecosystems and coordinated planning reflected in the New England Governors’ joint statement on advanced nuclear energy exploration.