Congress has agreed to triple funding for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory next year to $199 million.
The NIF laser, sixty times more powerful than any previous laser, is designed to focus 192 beams on to a single target to ignite fusion.
Part of the newly appropriated money – $69 million – will be withheld until the Department of Energy certifies to Congress that the programme can be completed on time and on budget.
