Helical Fusion Moves Into Demo Phase for Fusion Energy

Helical Fusion Co., Ltd., a global leader in the development of the Helical Stellarator, has completed a crucial performance test on a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil, a key component of commercial fusion reactors. The company has now begun manufacturing and construction of its integrated demonstration device, Helix HARUKA.

Helical Fusion is the only company in the world to leverage the expertise gained over 60 years at national institutes and universities in the field of the Helical Stellarator, which has proven to have the optimal characteristics for commercial electricity generation. As the sole heir to this knowledge from the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), Helical Fusion is leading the Helix program to realize the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant using the Helical Stellarator.

Under the Helix program, the company aims to complete performance testing of its two key technologies, the HTS magnets and the integrated cover/diverter system, by the end of the 2020s. By the 2030s, Helical Fusion plans to achieve full system integration with Helix HARUKA and begin steady-state power generation with its Helix KANATA fusion pilot plant.

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About the performance test

Importance

This milestone marks the world’s first successful demonstration of an HTS coil built with a fully functional large-scale driver:

The coil is based on a conductive cable designed for use on the scale of commercial fusion power plants 1
The test replicated the magnetic environment inside a fusion device 2 , including self-generated and external magnetic fields
Successful completion of a current test under superconducting conditions
Using NIFS’s unique large-diameter, high-field test facility, the conductor achieved a stable superconducting current flow of 40 kA under an external magnetic field of 7 teslas at 15 K (-258 °C).

This achievement places Helical Fusion among the world’s leading players in the race for commercial fusion energy and meets the technical requirements to move to the integrated demonstration device, Helix HARUKA.

Close collaboration with the national laboratory and the government

Since its inception in 2021, Helical Fusion has worked closely with NIFS on multiple joint research initiatives. In March 2024, a dedicated joint research team and laboratory space were established at NIFS to accelerate the development of HTS magnets and blanket/baffle systems, a Japanese public-private partnership model in fusion innovation.

The company’s progress is supported by Japan’s SBIR Phase 3 program, the first national subsidy program dedicated to fusion energy under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The program’s establishment was strongly encouraged by Ms. Sanae Takaichi, the current Prime Minister of Japan, during her time as a Cabinet Minister, where she championed the inclusion of fusion energy as a national strategic priority. Helical Fusion received the program’s largest grant, 2 billion yen (approximately USD 13 million).

Importance of HTS magnet development

Fusion reactors require magnetic fields strong enough to confine plasma temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius. For commercial power plants, these fields must be generated efficiently and compactly, a challenge that makes HTS technology essential.

While many companies produce HTS materials, only a few have the capability to design and manufacture large-scale superconducting systems for real-world reactor environments. Helical Fusion‘s success demonstrates its technical leadership in this field.

SOURCE: BusinessWire