Fusion energy has tantalized scientists for more than half a century as a possible source of limitless, reliable power.

But the technology to create the power of a star on Earth and use it to produce electricity remains at least five decades away, according to U.S. government experts.

In the same way that coal- burning plants sired nuclear power plants, researchers see fusion as the next step in the evolution of electric power plants.

In a world worried about global warming and escalating coal, oil and gas prices, the nuclear industry has seized an opportunity for rebirth.

Nuclear advocates are working to reshape the atom’s image from that of an environmental nightmare and utility bankrupter to an affordable and Earth-friendly energy source – and a hedge against future energy shortages.

Whether the inducements will convince any utility that building a new reactor is financially prudent is uncertain.