The race is on to build the first fusion power plant — and Europe is looking to Japan for help
Europe is accelerating its push to commercial fusion power, with Munich-based Proxima Fusion securing two memoranda of understanding in Tokyo with Fujikura and Kyoto Fusioneering to advance industrial-scale manufacturing and next-generation heating for a stellarator design. The move underscores a broader strategic bet on fusion as a scarce, long-duration energy solution and aims to build European supply chains, notably a Germany-based HTS tape facility to enable large magnets. Proxima targets net energy gain by the early 2030s and plans substantial production milestones to support its Alpha demonstrator and Stellaris power plant concepts, while facing global competition from other national and corporate players. The effort highlights the critical link between scientific leadership and industrial capability in sustaining momentum for fusion, with Europe seeking to avoid dependency on external supply chains.
Dive Deeper:
Proxima Fusion signed memoranda of understanding with Fujikura and Kyoto Fusioneering in Tokyo on Oct. 28, broadening collaboration on high-temperature superconducting tape manufacturing and collider heating tech used to heat plasma in a stellarator. The event drew attention from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, signaling high-level political backing.
The company’s strategy includes establishing a manufacturing facility in Lower Saxony, Germany, to produce HTS tape and form the magnets that confine the plasma. The planned facility is projected to cost about 140 million euros and would be partly financed by a 468 million dollar funding round that valued Proxima at roughly 2.7 billion dollars.
Proxima aims to produce about 5,000 kilometers of HTS tape annually by 2030 to support its Alpha fusion demonstrator and future Stellaris power plant, which would require tens of thousands of kilometers of tape overall.
Francesco Sciortino, Proxima’s CEO, emphasized the importance of Germany-based production for building European expertise and supply chains to convert scientific leadership into industrial capability, a long-standing challenge for Europe.
The firm faces competition from global players such as Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Helion Energy, General Fusion, and China Fusion Energy Co., with Japan’s Helical Fusion also contributing to the regional push. Industry leaders warn that developing a robust fusion supply chain will take years and cannot be treated as a simple on/off transition.
Progress hinges on balancing design complexity with operational simplicity, as Proxima seeks to minimize real-world plant complexity while advancing ideas for net energy gain in the early 2030s.