Helion, a fusion energy developer, announced that it has officially commenced construction of Orion, the world’s first fusion energy power plant. The facility, located in Malaga, Washington, is set to supply zero-carbon electricity to Microsoft upon completion, marking a historic step toward commercial fusion energy.

Founded in 2013, Helion is on the brink of realizing its long-standing ambition to build the first fusion power facility. In the wake of the first-ever fusion power purchase agreement signed in 2023 with Microsoft, Orion was selected to provide the tech giant with energy. Constellation Energy will act as the power marketer and will manage transmission for the project.

Melanie Nakagawa, CSO and CVP of Energy, Connectivity, and Sustainability at Microsoft, said:

“Fusion represents an inspiring frontier in the world’s pursuit of clean and abundant power. While the path to commercial fusion is still unfolding, we’re proud to support Helion’s pioneering work here in Washington state as part of our broader commitment to investing in sustainable energy.”

Fusion is a process that generates energy by combining two atoms. Its energy generation doesn’t emit carbon and unlike nuclear fission, radioactive waste is prevented. However, the ability for fusion to produce energy on a large scale has been hindered by its need for extremely high temperatures and pressure.

For the record, the company has previously built six working prototypes and, in June 2021, became the first private fusion company to reach 100-million-degree plasma temperatures with its sixth fusion generator prototype. Helion’s last fusion generator prototype, Polaris, which started its operations in 2024, is expected to demonstrate the first electricity produced from fusion.

With Orion to be operational by 2028 and targeting power generation of 50 megawatts (MWe) or greater after a one-year ramp-up period, Helion seems to have made a breakthrough in large and scalable fusion electricity generation. Furthermore, this project paves the way to a future commercial fusion era.

For Microsoft, Orion aligns with its ambitious climate goals, including its commitment to become carbon negative by 2030. Alongside a series of recent large-scale carbon credit deals, and among other initiatives, Orion now represents a significant component of Microsoft’s clean energy strategy. 

Source:

https://www.esgtoday.com/helion-breaks-ground-on-first-fusion-power-plant-to-supply-energy-to-microsoft/

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/helion-begins-work-on-fusion-power-plant