Brookfield Adds The Nuclear Company for V C Summer

• Brookfield Adds The Nuclear Company for V C Summer
• Japan Ships 1.7 Tonnes of HALEU Nuclear Fuel to U.S.
• Hadron Energy Raises $214 Million for Its 10 MWe LWR
• Hadron Energy Inks Uranium Conversion Deal with ConverDyn
• Riot Platforms MOU Terrestrial Energy SMRs to Power Its Data Centers
• US Launchs Nuclear Shipping RFI
• British-US Consortium to Build a UK Fusion Plant
• DOE Announces 10-Year Agreement on Stellarators With Max Planck Institute

Brookfield Adds The Nuclear Company for V C Summer

• Is the V C Summer project now on a path to completion?

Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to form a joint venture nuclear energy development company with The Nuclear Company which will focus on potentially restarting an abandoned nuclear reactor project in Jenkinsville, SC. Brookfield has committed to provide Santee Cooper, the utility that owns the partially completed twin 1,150 MW AP1000s located at the V C Summer site, with a final investment decision (FID) package by 2028. The joint venture is also intended to drive development of additional AP1000s in the U.S. subject to utility interest and available funding from public and private sources.

According to the press statement, “The new company will support due diligence activity for project and oversee the delivery should it move forward to Final Investment Decision. Development of the project remains subject to further evaluation, regulatory approvals, and the execution of definitive agreements.”

Details about the new joint venture are limited. Spokespersons for both Brookfield and The Nuclear Company told Neutron Bytes the joint venture does not yet have a name or a management team. They declined to provide information about how the joint venture will be funded nor how the responsibilites will be divided up by the two parties in the joint venture for due diligence and assessment of the technical feasibility issues that need to be addressed to get to an FID in about 18 months. It appears at this time the arrangement is the equivalent of a nonbinding MOU with contracts for performance and payment to be worked out over the coming months.

Brookfield is currently evaluating whether it can complete the V C Summer reactors. Brookfield won the VC Summer development contract with the main factor being a future commitment to pay down $2.7 billion of an existing $3.6 billion obligation Santee Cooper has on the site and for sharing ownership and power. Ratepayers have been stuck with the debt since the project collapsed in 2017. Brookfield also agreed to allow Santee Cooper to retain a 25% equity stake in the final project and receive 25% of the power it generates, or 575 MW, at a below market cost.

Regulatory Status Plus Dealing with a Reputation that Needs to be Put in the Rear View Mirror

In terms of regulatory status, the NRC terminated the combined licenses for the two reactors in March 2019. Santee Cooper and Brookfield will have to submit new applications for construction and operating licenses under the NRC’s Part 50 process. The documentation from the previous COLs for both reactors should, to some extent, make life easier in terms of relicensing the the two units.

On the other hand, the NRC will likely want to receritfy every peice of equipment and the poured concrete as part of the review of a construction license application. Some of the equipment and pour concrete has spent the past decade exposed to the elements. A few years ago Westinghouse brought a delegation from Ukraine to assess whether they wanted to buy any of the abandoned equipment at the site. No sales were made. Overall, the project is estimated to be about 40% complete. How much re-work will be needed along with acquistion of replacements for some of the original equipment now declared to be obsolete or unusable are open questions that will need answers.

The V C Summer project’s current standing is that it is a black mark on the reputation of the nuclear power industry. Santee Cooper and the plant’s former co-owner, SCANA Corp., stopped construction on two AP1000 reactors in 2017 after costs rose to $20 billion and Westinghouse, the vendor and EPC contractor on the project, filed for bankruptcy. Four project executives, three from SCANA and one from Westinghouse, were charged and found guilty of fraud and keeping false records. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, all four have since served their respective sentences.

What Will It Cost to Complete the Twin Reactors?

Hypothetically, if this were a new, greenfield project being built as an Nth unit in a series of new plants, at $6,500/kw, each reactor would cost about $7.5 billion with two of them coming in at around $15 billion. If the hypothetical cost of a greenfield new reactor at 1,150 MW is pegged at $9,000/kw, which is what KHNP is estimating it will cost to build a new 1,000 MW PWR at CEZ’s nuclear site at Dukovany, then the cost per reactor rises to $10.4 billion each or approximately $21 billion for the pair.

In as much that the twin reactors were already partially buil when V C Summer project shut down in 2017, the completion costs will be considerably less than the greeenfield cost of entirely new construction.

The unknown factor related to costs is that since 2017 the costs of steel, concrete, and labor, among other things, have all gone up due to inflation. As a result of the uncertainty associated with the cost to complete the two reactors,

Brookfield and its EPC will be expected to make project management and controls for costs and schedules job number one. Brookfield and the Nuclear Company will need to sharpen their pencils to come up with numbers that they and Sante Cooper can agree on in order to ink a final investment decision to restart construction and complete both reactors.

One opportunituy for the EPC will be that compared to 2017, now eight years later, the booming artificial intelligence field may offer tools to get a better grip on regulatory compliance, costs, and schedules to prevent the delays and cost overruns that occured in the construction of twin AP1000s at Georgia Power’s Vogtle plant.

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Japan Ships 1.7 Tonnes of HALEU Nuclear Fuel to U.S.

• U.S. secures largest-ever haleu shipment to America working in partnership with Japan.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in partnership with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), announced the successful transfer of 1.7 metric tons (3,740 pounds) of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from Japan to the United States – the largest single international shipment of uranium in NNSA’s history. The project was completed in close partnership with the UK’s Nuclear Transport Solutions and Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

HALEU is crucial for next-generation nuclear fuels.Advanced reactors rely on HALEU to deliver smaller designs, longer operating cycles, and greater efficiency. It is utilized in advanced reactor designs, in research and medical isotope production, and promotes nuclear security and nonproliferation by reducing global reliance on weapons-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium.

The fuel is in short supply as American firms are still ramping up to produce the quantities needed for first fuel loadings by ten of the leading developers of advanced reactors which need fuel in the form of TRISO or uranium metal enriched to between 8% and 19.5% U235. (See table below)

The HALEU fuel shipped to the U.S., no longer needed following the shutdown of Japan’s Fast Critical Assembly, which was operated as a research reactor, signifies a continuation of the long-standing nuclear security and nonproliferation cooperation between the United States and Japan.

As the Department of Energy facilitates America’s domestic supply chain for nuclear technology, this material—once processed—will help bridge the gap between supply and demand through the Office of Nuclear Energy’s HALEU Availability Program.

“This milestone accelerates our progress towards a secure and independent energy future, while reaffirming our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation,” said Dr. Matthew Napoli, NNSA’s Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation.

DOE Award Six HALEU Contracts

In October 2024 DOE awarded six contracts for the production of HALEU fuel to spur the buildout of a U.S. supply chain for fuels for advanced nuclear reactors. These contracts will allow selected companies to bid on work for deconversion services, a critical component of the HALEU supply chain. Deconversion transforms the gaseous form of enriched uranium (uranium hexafluoride / UF6) into either uranium oxide or uranium metal forms for fabrication into solid fuel elements intended for specific reactors.

The firms bring different capabilities to the program.

Centrus through its enrichment operation began producing HALEU fuel under a DOE contract in the form of uranium hexafluoride (UF6). To be used in a reactor, the gaseous form of the fuel must be converted to either uranium oxide or uranium metal fuel and fabricated as solid nuclear fuel elements to meet the needs of specific customers.

Orano has the capability to carry out the deconversion process from gas to oxide. The firm has announced plans to build a multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge, TN. Once built and in production Orano says the plant will produce commercial quantities of low enriched uranium up to 5% U235 and some with higher enrichment levels up to 8% U235. The firm has not indicated, at least for now, that it has any plans to produce enriched uranium for use in HALEU fuel, e.g., 9-19.5% U235.

The other four firms – BWX technologies, Framatome, GE Vernova, and Westinghouse – are positioned as fuel fabrication firms with a wide range of capabilities.

BWXT inked a contract in August 2023 with DOE’s NNSA to produce HALEU from “scrap” materials” to produce 2 metric tonnes (4,400 lbs) of HALEU.

Framatome has announced a deal with TerraPower to produce HALEU at its Richland, WA, fuel fabrication plant. It will convert uranium oxide into uranium metal for eventual use in TerraPower’s 345 MW sodium-cooled advanced reactor which the firm is building in Wyoming.

In 2022 Global Fuel Americas (GE Verona) announced a $200 million deal with TerraPower to fabricate HALEU uranium metal fuel for the firm’s advanced reactor.

Westinghouse announced the UK government’s nuclear fuel fund had awarded the firm $11 million to upgrade its Springfields nuclear fuel production plant in the UK to produce HALEU as well as to produce accident tolerant fuels for light water reactors.

More information on the HALEU Availability Program can be found at HALEU Availability Program Department of Energy.

How Much HALEU as UF6 is Needed by Advanced Reactor Developers?

To meet the needs of advanced nuclear reactor developers, the fuel cycle requires high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) first as gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for enrichment/deconversion and then as fabricated fuel (TRISO or metal).

The following table summarizes the requirements and estimated timelines for the primary firms currently receiving HALEU allocations as UF6 through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and private partnerships. The minimum amount of UF6 estimated to be needed by 2030 by these firms is 45.25 tonnes or 99,500 pounds of UF6.

This table (below) shows estimated needs for HALEU fuel for some of the leading developers of advanced reactors in the U.S. The caveat for this table is that it is based on avaialble open source information but is not necessarily the requirement for HALEU the firm is working with internally.

These numbers have not been verified with the firms shown on this list due to the fact that in past some of their responses to inquires have been that their requirement for HALEU for the first fuel loading is proprietary information. This is a typical response for firms that are in pre-application dialogs with the NRC prior to submitting a license application.

Some advanced reactors don’t need HALEU for their first fuel loading. For instance, Oklo is working with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to take the waste fuel from EBR-II and use it for the Aurora Powerhouse to be built on the site of the INL.

Separately, Terrestrial Energy, which is developing an HTGR, will use standard-assay low-enriched uranium (less than 5 percent U-235) thus completely avoiding HALEU supply chain issues not only for the first fuel loading, but also for the entire service life of the reactor.

A third approach is planned by ARC Clean Energy, while it is designed to use uranium metal fuel at 13% U235, which is in the HALEU range. The design anticipates a 20-year fuel cycle for the 100 MW reactor thus limiting its exposure to the short-volatility of uranium fuel supplies. The ARC100 owes its design legacy to the EBR-II and uses the same kind of sodium-bonded, binary metallic uranium fuel alloy that was also used in the Integral Fast Reactor, which was the successor to EBR-II.

Data acquired via search by Neutron Bytes using Google Gemini Pro.
Standard Nuclear serves primarily as a fuel fabricator under the DOE Fuel Line Pilot Program. Its requirement represents the 1st feedstock for fabrication demonstration.
Click on the image to see it full size.

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Hadron Energy Raises $214 Million for Its 10 MWe LWR

• GigCapital7 Corp. announces a business combination with Hadron Energy

GigCapital7 Corp. (NASDAQ: GIG) announced that at the General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 7, 2026, GigCapital7’s shareholders voted to approve the previously announced proposed business combination between GigCapital7 and Hadron Energy, Inc. GigCapital7 filed the results of the decision on a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 05/07/26. Hadron is expected to trade on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol “HDRN.”

The deal is expected to raise $214 million for Hadron leaving the firm with just under 65% equity (32 million shares). Public shareholders will own 21% of the 50 million shares and the SPAC firm wil hold 14% of shares.

About Hadron Energy, Inc.

Hadron is working to deliver a 10 MWe LWR. The reactor’s vessel, core, and containment shell are being designed to be truck-transportable enabling deployment across AI data centers, industrial hubs, remote communities, and infrastructure facilities where traditional power solutions cannot deliver.

Hadron said it has engaged with key potential customers in spaces such as data centers, remote geographies, industrial hubs and defense and space, and is at “the letter of intent stage with more than six potential customers.”

It plans to submit Design Certification and Early Site Permit applications by the fourth quarter of 2026. It filed a Regulatory Engagement Plan with the NRC in May and, earlier this month, filed its Quality Assurance Program Description with the regulator.

In an email to Neutron Bytes, Sam Gibson, Hadron CEO, wrote, “it is likely the firm will need $30 million to finish the design and get ready for NRC licensing submissions.” According to the firm’s timeline for major milestones (chart below), the firm plans to submit its combined operating license application under Part 52 in the 2027/2028 timeframe.

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Hadron Energy Inks Uranium Conversion Deal with ConverDyn

• The deal locks in domestic fuel supply for the firm’s 10 MWS LWR ‘Halo’ micro-modular reactor (MMR)

Hadron Energy, Inc. developer of the 10 MWe Halo Micro-Modular Reactor (MMR) announced the signing of a uranium conversion services agreement with ConverDyn, GP, the marketing agent for the only commercial uranium hexafluoride (UF6) conversion facility in the United States, which is owned and operated by Solstice Advanced Materials (NASDAQ: SOLS).

The Agreement secures a key step in Hadron’s domestic nuclear fuel cycle, directly enabling both the first deployment of the Halo MMR and its scalable commercial rollout.

The firm said in its press statement, “By securing ConverDyn, the sole supplier of domestic produced UF6, Hadron has established a fuel supply pathway that is resilient, U.S.-based, and anchored in proven infrastructure.”

The Fuel Supply Chain Starts Here

In a press statement about the agreement with ConverDyn, Hadron said that firm will supply UF6 supporting Hadron’s fuel fabrication pathway beginning with the Halo MMR’s’ First-of-a-Kind’ deployment, with the potential to expand across subsequent commercial units as Hadron scales toward repeatable delivery. The collaboration spans the full commercialization of Hadron’s Halo microreactor commercial roadmap from first reactor to fleet scale deployment.

Other Key Milestones for Hadron

The ConverDyn agreement follows Hadron’s recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Paragon Energy Solutions, a Mirion Technologies Company, to develop the Instrumentation & Control architecture for the Halo MMR, This is a critical subsystem milestone on the path to NRC licensing and commercial deployment.

Hadron has also received NRC acceptance of its Quality Assurance Program Description Topical Report for review, an early step in the licensing process that establishes the quality framework governing all of Hadron’s nuclear design, procurement, and construction activities.

Additionally, on April 10, 2026, Hadron submitted its Principal Design Criteria White Paper to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as part of the formal pre-application engagement process under 10 CFR Part 52, formalizing the technical and safety framework that will govern all future license applications for the Halo MMR.

Hadron is targeting completing the licensing of its reactor in 2029 with initial deployment of its first-of-a-kind unit for a customer in 2030.

On the commercial side, Hadron has signed a non-binding MOU with Smartland Energy, LLC, establishing a portfolio-scale framework for the potential deployment of the Halo MMR across up to five qualified Smartland behind-the-meter power projects over time, representing aggregate capacity demand of approximately 1.8 GWe. In connection with the MOU.  Smartland has made an initial strategic investment in Hadron Energy and may consider additional participation in future financing rounds. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.

On 04/20/26 Hadron announced the successful completion of a $7.5 million pre-IPO equity financing round. The round was anchored by a number of strategic investors supporting Hadron’s commercial and technology roadmap. Hadron called the investments a case of “reinforcing institutional confidence in the Company’s fundamentals and long-term trajectory ahead of its public listing.” The names of the investors for this round were not disclosed as the funds were considered to be a bridge financing round prior to the IPO that took place on 05/07/26.

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Riot Platforms Explores Use of Terrestrial Energy’s SMRs to Power Its Data Centers

Riot Platforms, a US-based data center developer, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Terrestrial Energy, a small modular reactor (SMR) developer, to explore the co-location of nuclear energy assets with data centers.

As partners, Riot and Terrestrial Energy will consider project opportunities at multiple candidate site including at existing Riot facilities in Texas and Kentucky, as well as additional locations. The partners aim to deploy multiple reactors across several sites representing up to 4GW of new nuclear capacity.

Terrestrial is developing a Generation IV SMR based on molten salt reactor technology. The SMR is expected to have a capacity of 190MW and be modular in design, allowing for deployment in pairs for 380 MW per site. Terrestrial aims to commission its first IMSR power plants in the early 2030s Unlike other advanced developers, the Terrestrial design runs on low enriched uranium fuel thus avoiding the supply chain bottlenecks facing other SMR developers who hung their hats , and their fates, on HALEU.

The company is partnered with Schneider Electric in April 2024 to jointly develop commercial opportunities and advance the deployment of SMRs. In August of last year, the company was selected as one of 11 advanced nuclear reactor projects to participate in the US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program. It is engaged in a race to prove it’s reactors can sustain a critical chain reaction by July 2026.

Formerly known as Riot Blockchain, Riot is one of the world’s largest Bitcoin miners, but has been working on a pivot to AI and HPC data centers since 2024.

Accoroding the data center industry trade press reports, Riot owns and manages more than 1,100 acres and 1.7GW of power capacity across its two Texas facilities. It also owns two operational sites in Kentucky, totaling 60MW, after acquiring Block Mining in July 2024. The sites could total more than 300MW at full build-out.

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US Launchs Nuclear Shipping RFI

• Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Initiative to Drive Down Costs for U.S. Shipping

The Maritime Administration (MARAD), an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, has launched an initiative to develop small modular reactors (SMR) for commercial shipping. As a first step, MARAD is calling on innovators and industry stakeholders to help develop an SMR model that revitalizes U.S. shipbuilding, cuts costs, and promotes growth of U.S. market share globally.

The Request for Information (RFI) is seeking input from industry and innovators to advance its knowledge of the potential for development of nuclear powered commercial shipping.

The Request for Information (RFI) is seeking input from industry and innovators to advance:

• Deploying reliable, high-power energy to allow commercial ships to travel further and faster;
• SMRs that will largely eliminate fuel costs and reduce maintenance requirements;
• Reinforcing US supply chains and securing energy independence to bolster its national defence;
• Identifying streamlined deployment methods to integrate nuclear power across entire fleets and logistical networks;
• Integrating SMR production into US shipyards to build strong robust workforce pipelines and new credentialing standards; and
• Establishing liability, insurance, and inspection frameworks to ensure seamless port access before construction begins.

“This RFI seeks industry insight into building a coherent US system capable of long-term commercial adoption, while providing global leadership,” the Maritime Administration said.

“Specifically, the purpose of this RFI is to investigate if advancements in SMR technology and novel concept development are usable, scalable, and can be made commercially viable. This includes integration of SMR-propelled vessels into international regulatory regimes.”

The agency said it is particularly interested in concepts that “treat nuclear propulsion as commercial infrastructure rather than a technology demonstration, and that demonstrate clear pathways to scalable, repeatable maritime operations.”

“To successfully introduce SMRs, we must view this through a system-transition lens rather than just as a technology demonstration,” said MARAD Administrator Stephen M. Carmel.

“We are seeking critical insights on how the government can help reduce systemic uncertainty, align regulatory structures, and enable the market conditions necessary for private capital and operators to scale these groundbreaking technologies.”

To support the development of these SMRs, MARAD is collaborating with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Energy. MARAD will collect additional input through other forums, including public workshops, listening sessions, and technical exchanges.

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British-US Consortium to Build a UK Fusion Plant

(WNN) US fusion energy developer Type One Energy, Britain’s Tokamak Energy, and US construction engineering firm AECOM have formed the UK Infinity Fusion Consortium to pursue development of the first private-sector-led fusion power plant project in the UK.

Through the consortium, the three companies intend to develop a fusion project that is commercially credible, deployable using existing enabling technologies, and capable of attracting private capital – consistent with the long-term goals of the government’s recently announced UK Fusion Strategy.

The UK Infinity Fusion Consortium combines Type One Energy’s 400 MWe Infinity Two stellarator fusion power plant design, AECOM’s leading engineering capabilities, and Tokamak Energy’s high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology and manufacturing expertise in the UK.

The consortium will use these capabilities to develop a first-of-a-kind UK Infinity Two fusion power plant project that will include participation by the broader UK fusion value chain spanning construction, finance, offtake and other supply chain partners.

The consortium aims to benefit from the UK’s significant investment in magnetic confinement fusion technology, supply chain capabilities, regulation, and power plant siting for the government’s STEP Fusion program.

It will also capitalise on the synergy and experience gained by Type One Fusion from the first-of-a-kind Infinity Two fusion power plant project at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Bull Run site in the USA, which is targeted for commercial operation in 2034.

The TVA Infinity Two project is being supported by the US government’s own fusion programs which provides a technical and programmatic foundation for the UK Infinity Two deployment project.

“The consortium will create a private-sector-led fusion commercialisation pathway complementing the STEP Fusion programme,” the partners said.

“The UK Infinity Two project further scales growth of the UK fusion supply chain and accelerates time-to-market for this critical new energy source, while strengthening the country’s industrial base.”

“Fusion needs to be delivered, not just developed,” said Type One Energy CEO Chris Mowry.

“This consortium brings together the core industrial capabilities in the UK and US required to deploy real-world fusion power plant projects that are commercially viable. By aligning fusion technology, advanced manufacturing, and power plant engineering, we are closing the gap between today’s energy innovation and tomorrow’s energy infrastructure. Our initiative is fully aligned with UK and US ambitions to be leaders in commercial fusion deployment.”

Type One Energy’s Infinity Two is a stellarator fusion reactor – different to a tokamak fusion reactor such as the Joint European Torus in the UK or the ITER device under construction in France.

A tokamak is based on a uniform toroid shape, whereas a stellarator twists that shape in a figure-8. This is intended to get round the problems tokamaks can face when magnetic coils confining the plasma are necessarily less dense on the outside of the toroidal ring.

In September last year, TVA issued Type One Energy a Letter of Intent to develop and build Infinity Two – a first-generation 350 MWe baseload power plant using the company’s stellarator fusion technology – with construction starting as early as 2028.

Type One Energy completed the first formal design review of Infinity Two in May 2025. Final decisions and definitive agreements regarding the funding and construction of Infinity Two, as well as any agreements to purchase the energy output, are subject to TVA Board approval, regulatory review, and alignment with least-cost planning processes.

In January this year, Type One Energy submitted the initial licensing application to the NRC in preparation for the construction of Infinity Two at TVA’s former Bull Run fossil plant site in Clinton, TN. The firm described its licensing approach for the TVA project at the NRC’s RIC 2026 conference (PDF file)

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DOE Announces 10-Year Agreement On Stellarator Research With Max Planck Institute

• Collaboration strengthens cooperation on nuclear fusion between US and EU
• Wednelstein 7-X is a stellarator, a type of fusion device that uses twisted magnetic fields to confine plasma in a donut-shaped chamber.

(NucNet) The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a 10-year project agreement with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Germany to advance research on the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. The amount of funding was not disclosed.

According to the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), the collaboration is the first project to be established under “a new model project framework” that aims to streamline processes for initiating and expanding fusion research projects between the DOE and the European Union.

W7-X is a stellarator, a type of fusion device that uses twisted magnetic fields to confine plasma in a donut-shaped chamber. It differs from the more widely studied tokamak, which uses a simpler magnetic design.

Since beginning operations in December 2015, W7-X has achieved a series of record-setting results, drawing on expertise and contributions from research institutions around the world, including the PPPL.

Last year, W7-X concluded an experimental campaign by sustaining a plasma with a high triple product for 43 seconds, far surpassing its own previous performance and, according to IPP, breaking previous tokamak records for long plasma durations.

“This agreement reflects our deep commitment to international partnerships that accelerate progress in fusion energy,” said Jean Paul Allain, director of the Office of Fusion at the DOE.

“The collaboration between the United States and IPP on W7-X has been extraordinarily productive for more than 20 years already, and this agreement pushes us forward into the next decade and beyond.”

Novimir Pablant, a principal research physicist at PPPL, said: “Instead of starting from scratch every time, we now have a consistent legal framework for collaboration, which will make new partnerships easier to set up and more consistent.”

Details of the Agreement Between DOE and the Max Planck Institute

The DOE has not publicly disclosed a single fixed dollar amount for the entire 10-year duration of this specific agreement. Instead, the agreement establishes a “new model project framework” between the DOE and the European Commission that allows for:

• Continuous Project Cycles: Funding is typically allocated through recurring grants and fiscal-year budgets managed by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES).
• Historical Context: For comparison, the U.S. previously invested over $7.5 million during the construction phase (2011) and recently allocated $6.4 million in 2021 for a three-year research cycle involving seven distinct projects on W7-X.
• In-Kind Contributions: A major portion of the U.S. “funding” is delivered through the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in the form of high-tech hardware (such as trim coils and scraper elements), advanced diagnostics, and personnel.

Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) Funding

The IPP, as the host and primary operator of the W7-X facility in Greifswald, Germany, provides the bulk of the infrastructure and operational funding:

• Facility Operations: The W7-X is a €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) machine. The IPP (funded largely by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) covers the vast majority of the annual operating and maintenance costs, which exceed €100 million annually for the institute’s various sites.
• Scientific Leadership: Under this agreement, the IPP provides the U.S. researchers with access to the world’s most advanced stellarator in exchange for the scientific expertise and diagnostic tools provided by the DOE.
• Focus Areas: The collaboration will focus on long-pulse plasma operation, core confinement, and the development of 3D magnetic structures to prove the stellarator concept is viable for commercial power plants.
• Commercial Path: This public partnership runs parallel to the €2 billion ($2.36 billion) agreement signed in early 2026 between the IPP, the Bavarian government, and private industry (including Proxima Fusion and RWE) to build the “Alpha” demonstration stellarator.

  Proxima Fusion spun out of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in 2023 to build the first generation of fusion power plants using QI-HTS stellarators. Proxima has since assembled a team of scientists and engineers from leading companies and institutions including the IPP, MIT, Harvard, SpaceX, Tesla, and McLaren. The firm is taking a simulation-driven approach to engineering that leverages advanced computing and high-temperature superconductors.

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