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Like big picture does it actually make sense for power generation? It seems like even if you could get costs below fusion for the reactor it’s still not a good deal due to all the infrastructure costs of converting such high heat to electricity.

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Have a look at this study for a tokamak-based system: "The cost of the fusion-specific technologies accounts for approximately 75% of the total direct costs of constructing the plant" [0] They also conclude that "The model levelized cost of electricity was found in the amount of ∼160 $/MWh." Note that 57% of that cost is due to depreciation of the hardware, and another 23% is replacement costs for materials damaged by the neutron radiation.

Another source says: "Setting the capital cost of the fusion-specific technology to zero results in a LCOE of 72 $/MWh, which borders current prices for renewables, but is clearly physically implausible."[1]

[0] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036054421... [1] https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.05727

No, not even close

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