Japanese fusion energy startup Helical Fusion has teamed up with the country\u2019s construction veteran company Hazama Ando to build Helix KANATA, the startup\u2019s pilot plant, by the 2030s. The two companies recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect, inducting Hazama Ando into Helical\u2019s Official Partner program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the world looking for new ways to meet its energy demands without releasing any carbon into the atmosphere, nuclear energy is being touted as the ultimate solution. Nuclear fission has been around for a few decades, and countries are well aware of its risks and advantages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also on the horizon is nuclear fusion technology that uses the same principle that powers the stars. The approach can be replicated on Earth and can produce large amounts of energy without generating radioactive waste or carbon emissions. Founded in 2021, Helical Fusion aims to commercialize fusion research conducted at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), one of Japan\u2019s leading public research institutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commercializing fusion research<\/p>\n
NIFS\u2019 achievements in fusion research range from sustaining plasma for 3,268 seconds to reaching temperatures over 100 million degrees Celsius. Much of this work has been achieved using the Large Helical Device (LHD) approach, which Helical Fusion plans to commercialize through a Helical Stellarator design.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The startup\u2019s commercialization roadmap, dubbed the Helix program, consists of two major milestones \u2013 Haruka and Kanata. While Haruka is a technology demonstrator, Helix KANATA is designed to be a pilot plant that will produce fusion energy<\/a> commercially in the 2030s.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Helical Fusion works towards these milestones, it is also signing up Official Partners on its journey. Launched in April 2026 with three companies, the Official Partner Framework is designed to recognize companies that ally with Helical\u2019s vision for fusion energy and will help it advance the Helix Program actively.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to strategic and technical collaborations, Official Partners are also making capital commitments to the Helix Program, making them stakeholders in fusion energy success.\u00a0<\/p>\n Creating a new sun<\/p>\n Helical Fusion\u2019s newest official partner, Hazama Ando, has a strong history in delivering construction projects for power-related facilities and those that support stable electricity supply. Teaming up with Helical Fusion, Hazama Ando is working to lay the foundation for a new, clean, green energy future with nuclear fusion at its core.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are deeply honored to join as an official partner of the \u2018Helix Program,’\u201d said<\/a> Kazuhiko Kuniya, President, Hazama Ando Corporation in a press release. \u201cAs a construction company dedicated to developing social infrastructure, HAZAMA ANDO has undertaken numerous power and energy projects aimed at ensuring a stable energy supply. We will leverage the expertise and technology we have cultivated over the years to contribute to the realization of fusion energy.\u201d<\/p>\n