Helical Fusion Co., Ltd., a Japanese company specialising in the development of commercial fusion reactors, has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with regional retailer Aoki Super Co., Ltd. This is the first agreement of its kind in Japan involving fusion energy, a key milestone in integrating the technology into the country’s energy infrastructure.
The agreement is based on the development of the Helix KANATA reactor, the company’s first commercial project using a helical stellarator configuration. Helical Fusion selected this design for its ability to ensure steady-state operation, net electricity output and maintainability. These criteria are, according to the company, the three essential requirements for fusion to become a dependable energy source.
A first commercial engagement in fusion energy
Aoki Super, established in 1941 and operating 50 supermarkets in Aichi Prefecture, becomes the first Japanese company to commit to purchasing electricity derived from fusion. The retailer consumes significant amounts of power daily to operate its sites, making it a strategic partner to test the future integration of this technology into commercial power supply.
Helical Fusion states that this PPA demonstrates a tangible evaluation of the viability of its model by a real electricity consumer. The agreement also reflects a growing market interest in securing stable, uninterrupted electricity through a model focused on industrial deployment rather than fundamental research.
Mobilising Japan’s industrial value chain
The company draws on more than 60 years of Japanese national fusion research to develop its reactor and aims to mobilise the country’s entire industrial value chain. This approach involves stakeholders from advanced manufacturing to end users, in an effort to accelerate the development and commercialisation of the technology.
The Helix programme targets operational deployment in the 2030s, though no specific date has been announced for electricity delivery to Aoki Super. Helical Fusion has not disclosed the value of the agreement or the volume of electricity involved.
The signing ceremony was held in Tokyo on December 8, attended by Helical Fusion Chief Executive Officer Takaya Taguchi and Aoki Super Managing Director and Head of Administration Division Masayuki Kono.
