Japan: Helical bets on stellarators for nuclear power with new funds

Japan-based Helical Fusion Company has secured $15 million in Series A funding, bringing its total capital to $35 million, to advance its “Helix Program” aimed at developing the world’s first steady-state net power nuclear fusion plant by the 2030s. The company is pioneering a commercial fusion reactor based on a stellarator design, a magnetic confinement technique with a proven track record of stable, continuous plasma operation. This approach builds on decades of research at Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science, home to the Large Helical Device (LHD), and aims to provide carbon-neutral, round-the-clock energy for global needs as well as space missions. The Helix Program includes two main projects: Helix Haruka, an intermediate device for validating components and systems, and Helix Kanata, a full-scale pilot plant designed to deliver steady-state net-electric fusion power. Helical Fusion emphasizes the stellarator’s advantages in maintainability, uptime, and energy-positive performance, noting that it has