Fusion Holds Near a Third of the Grid as Heat Loads Climb

BILBAO — Fusion supplied close to 30 percent of the reconnected global grid through this week's heat, and grid operators say that share is doing quiet, load-bearing work as air-conditioning demand across the northern megacities runs near its summer ceiling. The margin is thinner than the headline suggests. "Thirty percent is comfortable on a mild April night and tight on a July afternoon," said Priya Anand's source at the regional dispatch center in Bilbao, where operators shed no load this week but watched the reserve curve narrow each afternoon. Relief is dated, not present: Aurora Fusion Works is expected to sync a new baseload reactor in early August, which would nudge the fusion share past 31 percent once it is online. Until then, operators bridge the peaks with stored capacity and demand response. Emeka Okonkwo, who runs Aurora, urged patience. "One reactor at a time," he said. "The grid is rebuilt the way it fell — slowly, and in order."