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Helion Energy’s Orion Project received licenses from the Washington Department of Health to advance reactor construction and has an agreement to supply 50 MW of fusion energy to a Microsoft data center by 2028
The regulatory approval obtained by Helion Energy allows for the construction of the Orion reactor in Washington, bringing the world’s first nuclear fusion plant closer to an agreement to supply 50 MW to Microsoft by 2028.
Helion Energy received the necessary authorizations to advance the construction of the world’s first nuclear fusion plant in Malaga, Washington state, where the Orion project already has completed buildings and is set to begin the generator phase.
Nuclear fusion plant advances in Washington
The company obtained a Radioactive Materials License and a Radioactive Air Emissions License from the Washington Department of Health. The permits allow the start of construction of the generator building in the complex.
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The Orion facility is presented as a milestone in the attempt to commercialize nuclear fusion. So far, the assembly building and the administrative building have been completed, while the new authorization allows advancement to the reactor structure.
Agreement provides energy for Microsoft
Helion maintains an agreement with Microsoft to supply 50 MW of fusion energy to a data center by 2028. The goal depends on the company’s ability to bring its reactor into operation within the scheduled timeframe.
Nuclear fusion is pointed out as a carbon-free generation alternative, based on the reaction that occurs in the Sun. The technology can produce energy from simple atoms, like hydrogen and its isotopes.
Unlike nuclear fission, fusion does not generate large volumes of radioactive waste that need to be safely stored. It can also operate on demand, unlike sources like solar and wind, which depend on storage.
Regulation follows a different path from fission
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates fusion under the byproduct materials framework, in the same category as particle accelerators and hospitals, not as traditional nuclear reactors.
This distinction was also ratified by the United States Congress in the ADVANCE Act of 2024, indicating a different regulatory path for the technology.
Helion has not yet published a peer-reviewed article demonstrating the operation of its reactor with net energy generation, a central point for the commercial viability of the proposal.
The company also signed a transmission interconnection agreement with the Chelan County Public Utility District, allowing the plant’s energy to be delivered to the power grid.
The main question now is whether Helion will be able to meet the schedule and supply energy to Microsoft’s data center by 2028.
What do you think of this advancement in nuclear fusion and the agreement between Helion and Microsoft? Leave your opinion in the comments, especially about the challenges of turning a technology that is not yet commercial into a real energy source for data centers.
