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Japan Selects Four Companies for Fusion Power Program

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has conditionally selected EX-Fusion, Helical Fusion, Linea Innovation, and Starlight Engine to participate in a fusion program targeting reactor operation in the 2030s. The program will provide approximately $370 million, equivalent to around €318 million, in subsidies to selected projects by the end of February 2029. Specific funding allocations are still subject to formal grant decisions. The support corresponds to commitments in Japan's 2023 fusion strategy, which sets out the goal of achieving fusion power in the 2030s...

2026-09-07

South Korea Develops 3D Non-Contact Inspection System for High-Temperature Superconducting Wire

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) recently announced that a research team led by Ha Hong-su and Park In-sung at its Low-Temperature Device Research Center has developed a three-dimensional non-contact ultra-precision inspection system capable of continuously measuring the thickness and width of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire. The institute stated that this is the world's first such inspection system for HTS wire. KERI researchers Ha Hong-su and Park In-sung pose with a high-temperature superconducting wire beside the 3D non-contact ultra-precision inspection system. [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute] HTS wire exhibits near-zero electrical resistance below a specific temperature, enabling high-current, low-loss transmission,...

2026-09-07

China's BEST Project Completes Delivery of Seven TF Coil Boxes

On August 30, 2026, as the final BEST Toroidal Field (TF) coil box passed all acceptance inspections and was shipped, Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Equipment Co., Ltd. completed the development of seven core coil boxes for the BEST project. The project spanned approximately two and a half years, from the initiation of the first laser weld in January 2024 to the completion of all girth welds on products by the end of May 2026. The BEST TF coil box is a core pressure-bearing component in the magnetic field system of a tokamak device, primarily used to support the magnet structure, confine high-temperature plasma, and ensure stable device operation. Featuring an irregular and complex structure, high integration precision requirements, and demanding service conditions, this component imposes stringent requirements on specialized laser welding, precision machining, and geometric tolerance control...

2026-09-07

U.S. ZC Institute Unveils "Kardashev One" Fusion Prototype Reactor Plan to Independently Test Neutron Recovery Concept

ZC Institute, a fusion energy company headquartered in Atlanta, USA, announced on September 4 the launch of the Kardashev One program, aiming to develop a fusion prototype reactor to explore recovering energy lost to radiation and neutron escape during fusion reactions. As an early validation step of the program, ZC Institute has commissioned Professor Jason Cassibry and his team at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to conduct independent testing of the related field distortion technology. According to ZC Institute, existing fusion approaches, including inertial confinement fusion and magnetic confinement fusion, lose energy in forms such as electromagnetic radiation and neutron escape. Magnetic fields can confine charged...

2026-09-05

Germany's BEST and Luvata Partner to Expand Supply of RRP Superconductors for Fusion

Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies (BEST) of Germany and Luvata Materials & Solutions, part of the Luvata Group, have announced a strategic partnership to expand the industrial supply capacity of high-performance RRP® superconductors for next-generation magnetic confinement fusion power demonstration projects worldwide. According to information released by the two companies, the collaboration will focus on enhancing the industrial readiness and availability of RRP superconductors, expanding manufacturing capabilities, and strengthening supply chain resilience to meet the large-scale demand for superconducting materials in high-field magnetic confinement fusion projects...

2026-09-05

India's Private Fusion Tokamak PRAGYA Achieves Plasma Operation

Bengaluru-based deep-tech energy startup Pranos Fusion has produced plasma in its experimental device PRAGYA. The company states that PRAGYA is India's first compact tokamak developed by a private enterprise, marking a transition in India's private fusion research and development from the design and manufacturing phase to experimental operation. PRAGYA adopts a compact, low-aspect-ratio tokamak design, primarily used to generate, confine, and control plasma. Tokamaks use strong magnetic fields to confine high-temperature plasma within a toroidal vacuum vessel, creating conditions for future fusion of light atomic nuclei. The fundamental process of fusion reactions is the same mechanism by which the Sun releases energy, but engineering implementation still faces multiple challenges in plasma confinement, magnets, materials, and control systems.

2026-09-04

Commissioning of the CRAFT Cryogenic System 6 kW@4.5 K Helium Refrigerator Successfully Completed

Recently, significant progress has been made in the construction of the helium refrigeration system on the CRAFT magnet platform. The on-site commissioning and performance testing of the main body of the CRAFT cryogenic system 6 kW@4.5 K helium refrigerator have been successfully completed, with all indicators meeting the design acceptance requirements. The commissioning work focused on systematic verification of the cold box refrigeration performance, liquefaction capacity, control system, safety interlocks, and the operating status of key cryogenic equipment. During the acceptance tests, the helium refrigerator completed 12 hours of continuous stable operation under design conditions, achieving a refrigeration capacity of 6 kW@4.5 K + 50 K@GHe. In addition to design conditions, the project team also conducted performance tests under helium liquefaction conditions, with relevant temperature, pressure,...

2026-09-03

U.S. Develops Refractory Metal Powder Atomization System to Support Fusion Energy Materials Research

U.S. researchers are developing a new refractory metal powder atomization system to produce high-temperature alloy powders for extreme-environment applications. The system will support new materials research in areas such as gas turbines, aerospace equipment, and fusion energy systems. Jordan Tiarks, a scientist at Ames National Laboratory, stated that the laboratory has long been engaged in specialty powder production research, and the new system will expand its materials processing capabilities to higher temperature ranges and more challenging material systems. The research team noted that metal powders are a critical foundation for advanced manufacturing technologies such as powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing...

2026-09-03

US Realta Fusion and MGE Plan to Jointly Develop 200 MW Fusion Power Plant

Realta Fusion, a company developing magnetic mirror fusion energy technology, announced on September 2 that it has established a strategic partnership with Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) and its parent company MGE Energy, Inc. The two parties will jointly evaluate the feasibility of co-developing a 200 MW electric-class fusion energy power plant in Wisconsin, USA. Under the collaboration arrangement, the first phase includes a direct equity investment by MGE Energy in Realta Fusion. MGE has also agreed to provide equipment, engineering, and technical support to Realta Fusion, as well as assistance in project siting, permitting, grid interconnection, and financing to advance preliminary work for the proposed 200 MW fusion power project.

2026-09-03

South Korea Plans to Increase R&D Investment in Nuclear Fusion and Small Modular Reactors

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) stated on September 1 that in the 2027 government budget proposal approved at a Cabinet meeting, the ministry's budget amounts to 29.6476 trillion Korean won, an increase of 24.5% compared to this year's supplementary budget. Of this, the R&D budget is planned to increase from 11.9 trillion won this year to 14.1 trillion won, accounting for 36% of the South Korean government's total R&D budget. In the science and technology sector, MSIT plans to invest 12.377 trillion won in R&D related to next-generation artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. In explaining the budget proposal, the ministry's First Vice Minister stated that in response to the growing electricity demand driven by AI development, South Korea will accelerate the development of future clean energy sources such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear fusion...

2026-09-02

Global Advanced Nuclear Energy Market Report Focuses on SMR and Fusion Development

The recently released "Global Advanced Nuclear Energy Market Report 2027–2047" shows that the global advanced nuclear energy industry is transitioning from concept validation and early-stage R&D to a new phase where project deployment, capital inflow, and supply chain development proceed in parallel. The report uses 2027 as the base year with a two-year baseline period to assess the development trajectory of the advanced nuclear energy market over the next 20 years. It covers small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear fusion, and a range of emerging advanced nuclear technologies, including molten salt reactors, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, lead-cooled fast reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors, microreactors, advanced fuel cycles, integrated nuclear energy systems, and the application of artificial intelligence in nuclear power plant operations...

2026-09-02

Rock Fusion AI Platform Streamlines the Entire Stellarator Design Workflow

Recently, the AI agent collaboration platform for stellarator design independently developed by Rock Fusion has achieved full coverage of the entire design workflow, encompassing key stages such as zero-dimensional parameter design, plasma configuration optimization and performance analysis, as well as coil engineering feasibility assessment. The company stated that the platform can search over a thousand initial configurations and hundreds of thousands of coil schemes, reducing the typical design iteration cycle from several weeks to several days. Rock Fusion stellarator concept image. Leveraging this platform, Rock Fusion has completed the full-machine physics design of a medium-sized superconducting stellarator with a major radius of 2 meters and a central magnetic field of 3 tesla. Design work for the company's other devices under development is also being advanced on the same platform. Stellarators rely on external three-dimensional coils to directly generate helical magnetic fields, eliminating the need to sustain magnetic confinement through plasma current. This mechanism inherently reduces the risk of major disruptions faced by tokamaks and offers the potential for long-pulse steady-state operation. In 2025, Germany's Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator achieved significant progress in the "triple product" metric during long-duration discharges, drawing greater attention to the stellarator route.

2026-09-02

Japan's Helical Fusion Technology Selected as Candidate for METI's Fusion Demonstration Program

Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. has recently been selected as a final candidate for the fusion power demonstration project support program by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The program aims to align with Japan's national fusion strategy, advancing fusion energy into the demonstration phase by the 2030s and building the technical foundation for subsequent commercialization. The left image shows Helix HARUKA, Helical Fusion's integrated demonstration device; the right image shows Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion's fusion test plant. Under the current arrangement, the program will provide approximately 60 billion yen in government funding over three years through 2028, supporting private-sector R&D across multiple fusion technology...

2026-09-01

U.S. University Establishes Fusion Energy Seed Fund to Support Four Interdisciplinary Research Projects

The Institute for Fusion Studies at The University of Texas at Austin recently launched a fusion energy seed fund to support four interdisciplinary research projects. These projects will bring together teams from plasma physics, engineering, and computational science to address challenges in control, materials, particle confinement, and edge plasma simulation faced by fusion devices such as tokamaks. The fund is supported by the Institute for Fusion Studies (IFS), the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering ...

2026-09-01

Japan's Kyoto Fusioneering Secures Series D Funding Led by Korea-Japan Fusion Fund

IMM Investment Japan (IMMJ) announced on September 1 that it has led the Series D funding round for Kyoto Fusioneering, a Japanese fusion energy company. The investment was made through the Korea-Japan Fusion Fund, established jointly by Korean and Japanese investors. The fund, initiated by IMMJ, is positioned as a cross-border project fund designed to connect the capital and industrial networks of major Korean corporations with Japan's cutting-edge technology companies. Investors participating in the fund include POSCO Holdings, POSCO International, Doosan, Hyundai Motor, and GS...

2026-09-01