Former Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz joined the board of nuclear fusion company Tri-Alpha Energy Inc. in Foothill Ranch.
Moniz, a physicist and the 13th U.S. Secretary of Energy, joins an influential board of directors, including former Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive John Mack; Richard Meserve, who chaired the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush; and Tri Alpha Chief Executive Steven Specker, who spent 30 years at GE, leading its nuclear and digital energy businesses.
Moniz served as energy secretary in the second term of President Barack Obama’s administration. He entered the national energy policy arena in 1995 when he served as associate director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. He’s an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s energy policies.
Tri Alpha says it’s the world’s “largest private fusion company” and aims to develop a commercially competitive fusion power plant. It’s raised about $500 million since it started in 1998 but has kept its plans quiet until recently.
—Chris Casacchia
