Helion Energy has secured a Conditional Use Permit from a Central Washington county to start the next phase of development for what it hopes will be the world’s first commercial fusion plant.
The company broke ground in July at the site, located in the town of Malaga near the Columbia River. It’s building a 50 megawatt fusion facility named Orion that aims to harness the same nuclear reactions that fuel the sun and stars.
The new permit from Chelan County allows for construction of the fusion generator building and follows a public notice and comment period. The facility is being built on land that Helion is leasing from the Chelan County Public Utilities District.
“As a company of builders with a single-minded focus on making electricity from fusion commercially practical, we couldn’t be more excited to move into this next phase of construction for the Orion power plant,” said Helion CEO David Kirtley in a statement.
The project previously received a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance from the state’s comprehensive environmental review process, or SEPA.
Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay acknowledged Helion’s significant community engagement with the region ahead of permitting and construction, and cheered its role as an energy pioneer.
“Central Washington is known as the Buckle of the Power Belt for its foresight decades ago of bringing hydropower to the state,” Overbay said. “To be the home of fusion energy would enhance the legacy of our area as a continued leader in clean energy production.”
While construction continues, Helion is still working at its Everett, Wash., headquarters to develop the technology needed to commercially generate power from fusion — a feat that no one has yet accomplished.
The company has spent 12 years on R&D and building prototypes and raised more than $1 billion from investors. It has a deal with Microsoft to buy the electricity from the plant, provided all goes as planned. The energy will power data centers in the region.
In related fusion news, Google DeepMind shared today that it’s partnering with Boston-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems to use its AI in pursuit of fusion energy.