Japan’s Helical Fusion Aims for 2027 Power-On Tests at Pilot Reactor
Japan's Helical Fusion plans 2027 power-on tests for its fusion reactor, aiming to lead global clean energy efforts with breakthrough tech.
POLICY WIRE — Toki, Japan — Japanese startup Helical Fusion has announced that it will initiate preliminary power-on tests at its demonstration fusion reactor in 2027, marking a significant step toward commercial nuclear fusion energy.
The company is developing Helix HARUKA, Japan’s first integrated pilot reactor using the helical approach to fusion. The facility aims to showcase the potential of stable and continuous fusion reactions, which could one day provide clean, limitless energy with minimal radioactive waste.
Helical Fusion recently completed a world-first performance test of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil in 2025, replicating the magnetic environment needed for fusion and achieving stable current flow under superconducting conditions. Construction of the first spiral coil at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) site in Toki, central Japan, is now largely complete, enabling the company to open the facility to media and stakeholders.
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If initial tests succeed, the company plans to install additional components, including a liquid-metal wall blanket, before conducting full-scale power-on tests around 2030. Helical Fusion also intends to follow up on HARUKA with HELIX KANATA, a larger reactor capable of generating 50 MW of net power, aiming to demonstrate sustained energy output.
The company, which inherited helical fusion technology from NIFS, seeks to build the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant. CEO Takaya Taguchi emphasized that while the goal is to launch a commercial plant as early as the 2040s, numerous challenges—technical, financial, and logistical—must be addressed before that can happen.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has shown strong support for the nuclear fusion industry, with the government designating fusion energy as one of 17 strategic sectors. It plans to invest 3.1 trillion yen ($19.7 billion) through public and private funding by the 2040 financial year to advance the field.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
