A Tesla veteran hire signals that Pacific Fusion is moving from ambition to execution in New Mexico, as the tech company is pushing forward with its planned $1 billion research and manufacturing campus in Mesa del Sol.
On Monday, the California-headquartered company named Josh Tech, a former Tesla manager, to lead its New Mexico operations. The move underscores a critical phase in the project: turning a high-risk scientific bet into a functioning industrial footprint.
“Some career moves feel incremental. Others feel like stepping into the future,” Tech said, describing his new role as more about building scalable systems. The company expects him to translate fusion energy’s promise into “operational reality” in New Mexico.
From concept to construction
Tech’s appointment came as Pacific Fusion quietly laid the groundwork for its long-term presence in the region. In December, the California-headquartered firm opened a build-to-suit center in Los Morros Business Park. It has begun hiring local workers, signaling early-stage activity ahead of the larger Mesa del Sol campus.
The company announced the campus in September. It is expected to generate around 200 long-term jobs and some $400 million in economic activity in the next four years. The numbers alone position the project as one of New Mexico’s more ambitious bets on next-generation energy.
Why Tech’s hire matters
Tech’s background offers a glimpse into Pacific Fusion’s strategy. During his time at Tesla, he worked on new product introduction. More recently, as chief operating officer of REE Automotive, he focused on building scalable production systems.
That experience suggests Pacific Fusion is gearing up for a transition phase: from demonstrating that fusion works to figuring out how to build it reliably and at scale.
Fusion’s high-stakes energy bet
Pacific Fusion is part of the emerging companies racing to commercialize nuclear fusion. Often described as the “holy grail” of clean energy, nuclear fusion has the potential to generate power without carbon emissions and with virtually unlimited fuel.
Recently, the company reported a breakthrough that could make its reactor design more cost-effective. This development serves as a key hurdle in an industry where technical success has not always translated into economic viability.
In announcing Tech’s hiring, Pacific Fusion Chief Operating Officer Carrie von Muench said the company is “working to build the future of energy.” The company is moving to build its workforce in Los Lunas and, at the same time, build its Research and Manufacturing Campus in Albuquerque, he added.