Helical Fusion Announces Helix HARUKA Phase 1 Site
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 (Bernama) -- Helical Fusion Co Ltd, a Japanese fusion energy company, has announced the construction site for Phase 1 of Helix HARUKA, its Integrated Demonstration Device.
Phase 1, focused on magnet demonstration, will be built in a dedicated workspace for the joint research group formed by Helical Fusion and the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), located on the NIFS campus. The company has already begun manufacturing preparations and site development.
The initiative underscores Helical Fusion’s role in leading a “Japan-style public–private partnership (PPP)” for fusion commercialisation, combining NIFS’s research capabilities with private-sector system integration and industrial manufacturing expertise to accelerate development, according to a statement.
In Phase 1, the company will assemble a non-planar helical high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet and conduct current tests to validate its performance under expected operating conditions. The magnet is considered a critical component in magnetic-confinement fusion, influencing system performance, reliability and cost.
Meanwhile, in Phase 2, Helical Fusion plans to carry out an integrated demonstration of key enabling technologies, including the HTS magnet and blanket/divertor systems. The phase will also aim to demonstrate sustained high-temperature plasma operation, a milestone required to support future steady-state power plant operations.
The programme is intended to establish technical confidence for the company’s first power-generating unit, Helix KANATA, which is designed to achieve practical power generation, including steady-state and net-electric operation.
Since 2024, Helical Fusion and NIFS have operated under a formal joint research framework, collaborating on key technologies including HTS magnet systems and blanket/divertor systems.
By locating Phase 1 at the dedicated joint workspace on the NIFS campus, Helical Fusion will more tightly connect research and hardware buildout to accelerate engineering integration.
-- BERNAMA