Quasi-isodynamic stellarators: the path to 'Stellaris'

Proxima Fusion, a spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, is advancing a specific variant of stellarator technology known as the quasi-isodynamic stellarator. This magnetic geometry obeys key physics optimization goals for energy production while demonstrating high-temperature superconductor (HTS) integration.

In early 2026, Proxima signed an agreement with RWE and the Free State of Bavaria to site 'Stellaris', the first European commercial stellarator power plant, at the decommissioned Gundremmingen nuclear fission site. The location offers existing grid infrastructure, a trained workforce, and a regulatory environment already familiar with nuclear-class licensing.

The roadmap involves first constructing the 'Alpha' demonstration stellarator in Garching to achieve net energy gain in the 2030s. If successful, Stellaris would be the first commercial fusion plant built on a stellarator architecture, validating a confinement concept that avoids the plasma-disruption risk inherent in tokamaks.