Helical Fusion Reaches Major Milestone Toward Commercial Fusion Energy with Successful HTS Coil Test and Launch of Integrated Demonstration Device
Helical Fusion Co., Ltd., a world leader in fusion energy technology and the only company advancing the Helical Stellarator concept for commercial power generation, has announced a significant breakthrough. The company successfully completed a critical performance test of its high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil, a fundamental component of future commercial fusion reactors. This achievement paves the way for the manufacturing and construction of its integrated demonstration device, Helix HARUKA, marking a decisive step toward realizing practical fusion power.
Helical Fusion stands alone as the inheritor and industrial successor of more than 60 years of Helical Stellarator research developed at Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) and various national universities. The Helical Stellarator, known for its steady-state operation and inherent plasma stability, is widely regarded as one of the most promising designs for commercial fusion energy. Building upon this unparalleled scientific foundation, Helical Fusion is advancing the Helix Program—an ambitious roadmap to achieve the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant based on the Helical Stellarator.
The Helix Program: A Roadmap to Commercial Fusion
The Helix Program focuses on developing and validating two core technologies crucial for the next generation of fusion power systems:
- High-Temperature Superconducting Magnets, which generate the intense magnetic fields required for plasma confinement.
- Integrated Blanket/Divertor Systems, which handle extreme heat loads while enabling efficient power extraction and tritium breeding.
Helical Fusion plans to complete performance testing of both technologies by the end of the 2020s. In the next phase, during the 2030s, the company aims to achieve full system integration through its demonstration device, Helix HARUKA, followed by continuous, steady-state fusion power generation at its pilot plant, Helix KANATA. Together, these steps will form the foundation for a commercially deployable fusion power platform capable of delivering clean, sustainable baseload energy.
Significance of the HTS Coil Performance Test
The recent HTS coil performance test represents a global first in the fusion industry:
- It demonstrated a fully functional, large-scale HTS conductor suitable for use in a commercial-scale fusion power plant.
- The test recreated the complex magnetic conditions of an operating fusion reactor, including both internal (self-generated) and external magnetic fields.
- The coil successfully carried superconducting current at 40 kiloamperes under a 7-tesla magnetic field at a cryogenic temperature of 15 Kelvin (-258°C).
These results were achieved using NIFS’s specialized large-diameter, high-field test facility, one of the few in the world capable of replicating realistic reactor conditions. The success confirms the robustness and scalability of Helical Fusion’s HTS magnet design and validates its readiness to proceed with Helix HARUKA, the company’s next-generation integrated demonstration device.
By surpassing this critical technical threshold, Helical Fusion has positioned itself among the world’s top contenders in the race to achieve commercial fusion energy. The performance test not only establishes confidence in its HTS technology but also highlights Japan’s emerging leadership in fusion engineering and superconducting materials science.
Collaboration with National Laboratories and Government Support
Since its founding in 2021, Helical Fusion has maintained a close partnership with the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), leveraging Japan’s national research infrastructure and expertise in plasma physics, superconductivity, and reactor design. The collaboration has grown through multiple joint research projects, culminating in the establishment of a dedicated joint laboratory and research team at NIFS in March 2024. This collaboration focuses on accelerating the development of both HTS magnets and integrated blanket/divertor systems, exemplifying Japan’s public-private partnership model for innovation in fusion energy.
Helical Fusion’s progress is further reinforced by strong governmental support. The company is a recipient of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 3 Program, Japan’s first national grant scheme dedicated to fusion energy, administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The initiative was spearheaded by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who, during her previous role as Minister for the Cabinet Office, championed fusion energy as a cornerstone of Japan’s national strategic priorities. Under this program, Helical Fusion received JPY 2 billion (approximately USD 13 million)—the largest single grant awarded—underscoring the government’s confidence in the company’s technological potential and commercial trajectory.
The Strategic Importance of HTS Magnet Technology
Fusion reactors operate at temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, requiring powerful magnetic fields to confine the plasma safely and efficiently. Achieving this confinement in a compact, cost-effective system is one of the central engineering challenges of fusion energy. High-temperature superconducting magnets are the key to solving this problem, as they can generate stronger magnetic fields with less power consumption compared to conventional superconductors.
However, while many companies worldwide are capable of producing HTS materials, only a select few have the capability to design, engineer, and validate full-scale superconducting systems suitable for continuous reactor operation. Helical Fusion’s achievement represents not just material innovation, but complete system-level engineering maturity, bridging the gap between laboratory research and industrial application.
The company’s proprietary HTS coil design integrates advanced conductor cabling, cryogenic systems, and magnetic field optimization tailored to the Helical Stellarator configuration. This ensures stable superconducting performance under extreme operational conditions, a critical requirement for continuous, maintenance-free reactor operation—an area where Helical Stellarators hold intrinsic advantages over tokamak-based systems.
Toward a New Era of Fusion Power
Helical Fusion’s latest milestone signifies more than just a technological success—it signals the dawn of a new industrial phase in fusion development, where decades of scientific research are converging into practical engineering outcomes. By combining Japan’s deep scientific heritage in stellarator physics with cutting-edge superconducting technologies, Helical Fusion is positioning itself at the forefront of the global effort to make fusion a reliable, carbon-free energy source.
As construction of Helix HARUKA begins, the company is entering a crucial stage of demonstration and validation. The integrated device will serve as the bridge between experimental physics and commercial power generation, proving that Helical Stellarator-based systems can operate continuously, safely, and economically.
In achieving this, Helical Fusion aims not only to realize the long-sought goal of commercial fusion energy, but also to contribute decisively to global energy security, climate sustainability, and technological leadership in the 21st century.
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