The development of fusion as a future energy alternative continues to be a matter of international importance. Research on controlled thermonuclear fusion began in the 1950s, but the commercial application of this technology may be as far away as 2020 or longer. However, in the 1990s, both in Europe and the United States, experiments are scheduled to demonstrate energy breakeven with about 30 MW of fusion power, and international planning and conceptual design are now under way for a 1,000-MW ignition experiment to begin operation at the end of the 1990's.