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Helion Breaks Ground on What Could be the World’s First Fusion Plantwww.geekwire.com/2025/helion-breaks-ground-on-what-could-be-the-worlds-first-fusion-plant-despite-significant-uncertainty/
309 sats \ 5 comments \ @Cje95 31 Jul science
As someone who has talked to Helion multiple times and we even had them testify before our Committee last Congress on fusion this is huge but not out of the blue.
Helion signed a power purchase agreement with Microsoft a couple of years ago and in that contract were some pretty strict and significant financial penalties if they did not deliver. Their system is also a significant departure from the commonly thought of Tokamak design (the donut) and instead is a linear fusion system which looks like this below.
They have been extremely secretive though and not a ton is known about the design or how it works compared to other systems esp. Why this one is so far ahead. That being said they are finishing up their 7th prototype that they hope by the end of this year will generate their first electrons. The contract with Microsoft give them through 2026.
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15 sats \ 4 replies \ @south_korea_ln 31 Jul
Isn't the agreement with Microsoft until 2028? Need to check where i read that, i might be mistaken.
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5 sats \ 3 replies \ @Cje95 OP 31 Jul
Ah your right misread another article over it which said “the site work keeps it on track to deliver electricity within three years to Microsoft under a 2023 purchase agreement”
Helion though is optimistic that this prototype will be electricity positive so that the next one (8th) will be the final one with full capabilities
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15 sats \ 2 replies \ @south_korea_ln 31 Jul
7 prototypes over 15 years. Fusion really needs some long term commitment~~
Fwiw, I'm a huge sceptic. ITER is a big money sink. Still worth due to potential upside, but I'll believe it when it happens.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Cje95 OP 31 Jul
Omg don't even get me started on ITER but because its a freaking treaty we are stuck. That being said the Presidents budget request pulls really the max amount they can from ITER and focuses it on American research, projects, facilities.
Even my Democratic colleague was very happy with the fusion budget and the direction of funding
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln 31 Jul
Yeah, at the same time, playing devil's advocate here, luckily one cannot withdraw easily from such a treaty. This kind of global science requires some really long term commitment. Without it, these would never get funded. And trickle down benefits are proven. Magnet technology, huge public contracts,... benefit more than just the LHC or ITER.
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