Startup Helion Energy has announced that it has selected a site for the construction of the first thermonuclear power plant in the United States. The documents for the site have not yet been signed. To start the process, it is necessary to obtain approval from the local community, with a meeting with representatives scheduled for March. The developer is confident in its choice and the speedy approval of the project, as it expects to begin construction this summer.
Image source: Helion Energy
The site has been selected in Malaga, Washington. The company’s management will hold a presentation of the project in March and answer questions from community representatives. Since thermonuclear reactors are considered virtually safe and produce a small amount of radioactive waste (and this is not spent fuel, but mainly the shell of the working chamber), the company does not expect any difficulties with approval. Moreover, the county will receive cheap electricity and additional budget revenues.
Interestingly, the Helion reactor’s power generation is seen as a nice bonus. The main product of the synthesis should be the helium-3 isotope, the fuel for thermonuclear reactors. The Polaris reactor, the prototype of which was completed in early autumn 2024, will be able to produce up to 20 tons of helium-3 annually. Its electrical capacity will be 50 MW, and a contract has already been signed with Microsoft for its purchase. In fact, the future power plant in Malaga will service the servers of this technology giant.
Helion Energy is looking to the future with confidence that it will be able to implement the project in the 1930s. The design of the Polaris reactor (this is already the eighth prototype) is one of the most unique and innovative. It is planned to use the electromagnetic induction effect to collect energy: the dynamics of the plasma in the magnetic field inside the reactor will affect the magnetic field of the external magnets, generating electricity in the external windings. No heat extractors or turbines – everything is as simple, compact and with a minimum number of units as possible.
Helion Energy has raised billions in investments on these innovations. In January 2025 alone, the company attracted another round of financing in the amount of $425 million. Following the new round, Helion’s capitalization grew to $5.245 billion. A successful company believes in itself and its technologies and infects its partners with this confidence.