Proxima Fusion has entered into a public-private partnership with the German state of Lower Saxony to build a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tape production facility named Tristan. The signed Memorandum of Understanding outlines plans for Europe's first large-scale plant dedicated to manufacturing fusion-grade HTS tapes, a critical component for the magnets in next-generation fusion devices. The facility aims to address a significant supply chain bottleneck for the fusion industry by producing over 1,000 kilometers of HTS tape annually. This initiative represents a key step in Proxima's roadmap toward constructing a commercial fusion power plant. Source: Proxima Fusion
A spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), Proxima Fusion is developing power plants based on the quasi-isodynamic (QI) stellarator concept. This design, validated by the Wendelstein 7-X experiment, aims for steady-state plasma confinement without the large, disruption-prone plasma currents inherent to tokamaks. The complex, three-dimensional magnetic fields required by QI stellarators necessitate powerful superconducting magnets. HTS tapes enable the construction of these magnets with the required field strength and geometric precision, making a secure supply of such materials fundamental to the company's hardware development and the broader advanced fusion sector. Source: Proxima Fusion
This design, validated by the Wendelstein 7-X experiment, aims for steady-state plasma confinement without the large, disruption-prone plasma currents inherent to tokamaks.
The partnership with Lower Saxony provides a strategic industrial base for the Tristan facility. Olaf Lies, the state's Minister for Economic Affairs, highlighted the project's potential to create hundreds of highly qualified jobs and establish the region as a central hub for fusion technology in Europe. The MoU formalizes the collaboration, which will leverage public support to de-risk the significant capital investment required for such a specialized manufacturing plant. This model aims to accelerate the development of a robust European fusion supply chain, which is currently a limiting factor for many public and private fusion programs. Source: Proxima Fusion
According to Dr. Francesco Sciortino, co-founder and CEO of Proxima Fusion, securing the HTS supply chain is a prerequisite for the company's plan to build a fusion power plant in the 2030s. By vertically integrating the production of this core component, Proxima aims to control quality and ensure availability for its device development timeline. The Tristan facility is not only integral to Proxima's own QI stellarator but is also positioned to supply HTS tapes to other fusion ventures, potentially accelerating progress across the entire field of magnetic confinement fusion. The move signals a maturation of the commercial fusion landscape, where focus is shifting from pure plasma physics research to include the industrial-scale engineering and manufacturing challenges of building a power plant. Source: Proxima Fusion