Energy company Helion is inching closer to its goal of firing up the world's first fusion reactor to produce usable electricity. It's currently considering a property in the city of Malaga, Washington, to set up a 50-MW facility and power Microsoft's data centers.
Local media outlet Wenatchee World reported that Helion made an announcement at a press conference on Thursday, laying out its plans to lease a site in Malaga. The prospective project is located within Chelan County, and near the Rock Island Dam on the Columbia river. The land is owned by Chelan County Public Utility District.
The company hasn't yet signed an agreement, or secured the necessary permits. Helion will first invite Malaga residents to a local community event next month, where they can hear from founder David Kirtley and senior employees about their plans for the project.
If it moves ahead, Helion will subsequently need to submit an environmental impact report. That will likely need to happen soon if the firm intends to stick with its plan of breaking ground on the project this summer.
Helion raised US$425 million in a Series F round last month, crossing $1 billion in funding. The last raise was aimed at helping the Washington-based company get its plans for a commercial power plant off the ground.
It's seventh fusion reactor prototype, which is currently being tested, was built in a 27,000-sq-ft (2,500-sq-m) facility. The purpose of this latest one, dubbed Polaris, is to demonstrate if Helion's system can deliver usable electricity.
The company has plenty of competition vying to be the first to build a functioning fusion reactor. One of the many major challenges involved in the process is running a reaction long enough to generate usable power and offset the initial energy input. China managed 1,066 seconds in January, and the WEST Tokamak in France beat that record by 271 seconds earlier this month.
Source: Helion Energy via Wenatchee World