Fusion project in Malaga ahead of schedule, Helion says

MALAGA — After several months of relatively little news on one of the most ambitious energy projects in North Central Washington, Helion Energy says construction of its planned fusion power plant in Malaga is now running ahead of schedule as the company pushes toward what it hopes will become the world’s first commercial fusion facility connected to the electrical grid.

Speaking to the Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority on May 26, Helion Senior Director of State and Local Affairs Tom Bugert said the company expects to secure its remaining major permits from the Washington State Department of Health within the next several weeks, while major site work continues moving forward at the Orion facility near the Columbia River.

“Construction is well ahead of schedule out on Orion,” Bugert told commissioners. “We are several months ahead of where we wanted to be.”

The Malaga facility is intended to become Helion’s first commercial-scale fusion plant and is planned to generate at least 50 megawatts of carbon-free electricity under a power purchase agreement with Microsoft.

Unlike traditional nuclear fission plants, which generate energy by splitting atoms, fusion seeks to generate electricity by forcing atomic nuclei together under extreme temperatures and pressures — the same process that powers the sun.

Helion’s approach uses pulsed magneto-inertial fusion technology, rapidly compressing plasma with magnetic fields in hopes of generating more electricity than the system consumes. The company has spent years testing increasingly advanced prototype machines at its Everett facility, including its current Polaris prototype.

Bugert said Helion is now achieving fusion reactions “nearly every single day” in Everett and recently surpassed another major technical milestone by reaching temperatures of roughly 150 million degrees Celsius during deuterium-tritium fusion operations.

“More heat equals much more efficiency,” Bugert said. “Which is really good for a larger commercial operation.”

The company’s long-term goal is eventually to operate using helium-3 fuel cycles, which Helion believes could improve efficiency while reducing wear on reactor components.

During the meeting, Bugert described Polaris as both a testing platform and a learning environment for Orion, with engineers continuously refining materials, capacitor designs and manufacturing methods while construction proceeds simultaneously in Malaga.

That aggressive overlap between research, manufacturing and commercial deployment is unusual even within the fusion industry, where many projects remain largely experimental.

Helion recently opened a significantly expanded manufacturing facility in Everett intended to scale up capacitor production and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains.

“We very much see our supply chain — kind of building a U.S. domestic fusion economy — as key,” Bugert said.

In Malaga, the company’s office building is nearing occupancy, while the assembly building is fully roofed and outfitted with HVAC systems. Foundation work for the generator building is also underway.

If Helion meets its current timeline, Bugert said commissioning work could begin near the end of 2028 before ramping further in 2029.

The project first drew widespread public attention in 2024 and 2025 as Helion pursued local permits and environmental review for the site.

Bugert told commissioners the company intentionally spent more than a year conducting outreach with tribes, agencies, schools, fire districts and residents before formally entering the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review process.

“We met with more than 100 community groups and community leaders,” Bugert said. “We had 10 community meetings.”

According to Bugert, Helion ultimately modified portions of the project layout, fencing, building design and cultural resource work in response to public and tribal feedback before submitting its SEPA materials. The company later received a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance through the environmental review process.

Commissioner Jim Huffman praised the outreach effort during the meeting.

“You established a benchmark and a record of no one showing at the public hearing for a nuclear power plant,” Huffman joked.

Bugert said Helion currently employs roughly 550 people companywide, most of them technicians involved in manufacturing, assembly and operations work. As hiring ramps up in Malaga, he said the company intends to continue prioritizing Chelan and Douglas county contractors and workers whenever possible.

“We really said, no, it’s much more important for us to be giving this the benefit of employment and construction back to the local community,” he said.

The discussion also turned toward broader concerns about electrical infrastructure and transformer shortages nationwide, with commissioners and Helion representatives warning that grid equipment lead times are becoming a growing obstacle for energy development across the country.

Bugert said Chelan County’s relatively strong electrical infrastructure and interconnection process played a major role in Helion’s decision to locate Orion in Malaga.

“If the interconnection weren’t here,” he said, “we wouldn’t have been here.”

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media