In many of the world’s fastest-growing economies—among them China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Russia—energy demand is rising sharply. Economic growth, urbanization, industrialization, and rising standards of living mean more electricity is needed not only to power homes but also factories, data centres, transport, and clean water systems. For these nations, energy independence isn’t just about cutting carbon — it’s about sovereignty, ensuring stable and affordable energy sources that aren’t overly reliant on imports or fossil fuels. Explore how BRICS nations could use fusion power to transform their energy systems: current clean energy leadership, fusion potential, barriers, and what strategies (including procurement and cooperation) might make energy independence possible.
Fusion power — the idea of replicating the process that powers the sun on Earth — remains, for many, the stuff of science fiction. But recent advances (in plasma physics, magnets, superconductors, energy confinement etc.) make it increasingly plausible that fusion could, in coming decades, become a clean, virtually limitless base-load source. For BRICS nations, which combine large populations, increasing energy demand, and often good geography or scientific capacity, fusion holds both promise and challenge. Could these countries “leapfrog” older, polluting infrastructure, avoid decades of dependence on fossil fuels, and move directly into a fusion-powered clean energy era?
In this blog I explore: where BRICS stand today in clean energy; what fusion developments exist or are possible; what barriers would slow down or prevent leapfrogging; and what strategies, including cooperation, financing, procurement, and policy, would help make fusion-based energy independence possible in the BRICS context.
Where BRICS Fusion Power Are Already Leading: Clean Energy Momentum
Before we talk about fusion, it helps to see how BRICS countries are performing in renewable energy and nuclear energy (non-fusion), since that gives groundwork, infrastructure, and policy experience.
- Solar leadership: BRICS now generate more than half of the world’s solar electricity generation. In 2024, the ten BRICS (including BRICS+) accounted for around 51% of global solar power generation. China is the major driver (≈39% of global solar generation), India and Brazil have also made big gains.
- Nuclear cooperation & infrastructure: Members are forming a Nuclear Energy Platform (for BRICS and BRICS+ countries) to share best practices, capacity building, technology, and financing in nuclear (non-fusion) power.
- Policy & Investment Environment: Many BRICS countries are stepping up green energy cooperation, entering into joint ventures (e.g. in solar, wind) and aligning industrial strategy toward low carbon and clean energy.
These advances show that BRICS are not starting from scratch; they have renewable infrastructure, institutional experience, domestic manufacturing in many cases (solar, wind), and political motivations to reduce emissions, reduce energy import dependency, and improve energy equity.
Fusion Power: How Close Is It, and What It Could Mean for BRICS
Fusion is not yet commercial — globally, as of 2025, there are no grid-scale fusion power plants delivering electricity. But research is advancing, private investment is rising, and countries (both advanced and emerging) are watching carefully. Some key points:
- Private fusion companies have attracted increasing investment globally. A Reuters report noted that over a recent year fusion energy investment rose by US$2.64 billion, bringing the total for surveyed firms since 2021 to nearly US$9.77 billion.
- Breakthroughs in experimental reactors (e.g. in plasma confinement time, sustaining fusion reactions) are slowly converging toward what’s needed for commercial viability. While details vary, many in the field believe pilot or demonstration plants could be operational in the early 2030s.
For BRICS, if fusion becomes commercially viable, the implications are significant:
- Energy independence: Countries with large population and industrial demand could reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports. For example, India imports large quantities of oil and gas; fusion could reduce expenditure and vulnerability to international fuel price shocks.
- Climate goals: Many BRICS members have net-zero or emission reduction commitments. Fusion offers a low-carbon, base load complement to renewables whose intermittent nature can be challenging to match with supply stability.
- Economic development & technology leadership: Building fusion capacity (research, tech development, supply chains) could create high-skill jobs, industrial capacity, spillovers in materials, superconductors, high-performance computing, magnets, etc.
Barriers to Leapfrogging with Fusion
However, there are many serious hurdles that BRICS nations would need to overcome to make fusion not just a visionary headline, but a real lever for energy independence. Some of these are global to fusion, others specific to emerging economies.
- Technical maturity & timeline: Fusion still faces significant engineering challenges: sustaining net energy gain, ensuring materials can handle the extreme conditions (temperature, neutron flux, magnet stress), cost of magnets and superconductors, cooling systems, safety and licensing regimes. For many, commercial fusion plants are expected mid-to-late 2030s or beyond. So for countries in BRICS to count on fusion by 2030 for energy independence is likely too ambitious.
- Capital intensity & cost: Fusion plants will require massive investment up front. Emerging economies often struggle with raising capital, securing low-interest financing, managing risk, and ensuring cost efficiency. Competition for investment among countries (within BRICS and globally) means securing finance may come at high cost or high conditionality.
- Supply chain & component technology: Advanced superconductors, high-strength alloys, precision manufacturing, large magnets, cryogenics, and handling of fusion fuels (like tritium, deuterium) are complex and require both R&D and industrial capacity. Some BRICS countries have strengths (e.g. China’s manufacturing, India’s materials R&D, Russia’s nuclear sector) but scaling to fusion-quality industrialization is nontrivial.
- Regulatory, safety, governance, and public acceptance: Fusion regulation is still nascent. Safety standards, licensing regimes, environmental impact assessments, waste (even if less long‐lived), and decommissioning will need clear frameworks. Also, public understanding and trust matter.
- Competing priorities: Emerging economies often face more urgent needs (e.g. universal electricity access, reliable grid expansion, clean cooking, industrialization, poverty alleviation). Investing heavily in fusion now might compete with more immediately actionable solutions (solar, wind, hydro, efficiency, storage) that can bring results faster.
What Would Enable BRICS to Leapfrog Efficiently
For BRICS nations to maximize fusion’s potential, certain strategies and conditions would help. If these fall into place, they could accelerate progress significantly.
- Regional cooperation & pooling resources: Sharing R&D, technology, facilities, regulatory frameworks among BRICS nations could reduce cost and speed up innovation. Joint research labs, shared pilot plants, joint procurement of components, shared training programmes.
- Strong policy support: Governments need to define clear fusion research priorities, funding, subsidies, regulatory regimes, public-private partnerships. Ensuring stable policies will reduce risk for private investors.
- Linking fusion development to other energy systems: Fusion doesn’t need to stand alone; integrating its development with efforts in renewables, storage, grid modernization, and demand management will make energy systems more robust. Fusion can complement solar, wind, etc.
- Capacity building: Human capital (scientists, engineers, technicians), institutional capacity (regulators, planners), manufacturing infrastructure. Some BRICS already have advantages here; continued investment in education, specialized departments, laboratories helps.
- Financing innovation & access to affordable capital: Use of blended finance (public + private funds), international climate finance, concessional loans, risk guarantees. Also leveraging partnerships with global firms, or through BRICS+ initiative platforms.
Where BRICS Are Positioning Themselves Now in Nuclear & Fusion Dialogue
While fusion is not yet dominant in BRICS energy plans (most current efforts are renewable or traditional nuclear), there are signs of alignment and interest.
- The Nuclear Energy Platform in the BRICS/BRCIS+ context was newly established in 2024. It is intended to help share experience among member nations, promote nuclear technology projects, trade, and best practices. It doesn’t yet specify fusion in all cases, but it lays groundwork.
- Expert sessions within this platform have already been held (for example, in China in 2025), discussing key factors in nuclear energy deployment. Fusion might in time be included more explicitly in such discussions.
- Some BRICS countries are heavily investing in related clean energy infrastructure — solar, wind, grid modernization — which build complementary capabilities and reduce energy demand growth that fusion would need to serve. These set a base from which fusion might build.
Realistic Scenarios: What Leapfrogging Might Look Like
Given the pace of development, here are some plausible scenarios for BRICS in the coming years:
- Some BRICS countries could host small pilot fusion reactors or demonstration plants by early 2030s (not yet fully commercial) — likely led by those with strong governmental and scientific resources (e.g. China, India, Russia).
- Shared BRICS fusion R&D centres or collaboration across countries to develop critical fusion technologies (magnets, superconductors, materials) could lower costs and speed development.
- Fusion might first be integrated as hybrid systems: part of energy mix where renewables + storage + existing nuclear + fusion all contribute, particularly in industrial zones or large cities where demand is high.
- Leapfrogging could be more realistic if BRICS countries combine fusion with demand management, energy efficiency, decentralized grids, so they don’t have to build full fossil fuel backup systems.
Conclusion
The idea that BRICS countries could use fusion power to leapfrog into energy independence is powerful—and not purely fanciful. The combination of rapid clean energy growth already underway, institutional momentum in nuclear energy cooperation, and escalating global investment in fusion research gives reason for hope. But it will not be easy or immediate. The technical, financial, regulatory, and industrial challenges are large, especially for countries starting from less advanced infrastructure.
Mattias Knutsson, Strategic Leader in Global Procurement and Business Development, reflects that for emerging economies, the key isn’t just inventing fusion reactors — it’s securing supply chains, ensuring affordable procurement of critical components, and establishing stable procurement policies and international partnerships. In his view, leapfrogging into fusion-powered energy independence is possible — but only if BRICS countries start now, coordinate closely, invest in capacity, and manage risks strategically.
If fusion becomes commercial and affordable, BRICS may find themselves not following the energy transition, but leading it. The question isn’t just can they, but will they act with the urgency that energy sovereignty demands.
