Japanese startup Helical Fusion has announced two major milestones: securing a $5.5 million Series A extension and signing Japan’s first fusion energy power purchase agreement (PPA). Together, these developments bring the company’s cumulative fundraising, including grants and loans, to about $38 million and strengthen its push to commercialize a new source of clean energy. The landmark PPA with supermarket chain Aoki Super Co. represents a concrete step from advanced research toward future commercial power delivery.
Strategic Funding Boosts Development
The Series A extension round raised approximately $5.5 million, bringing Helical Fusion’s total Series A funding, including loans, to around $21 million. This builds on the previously closed Series A of roughly $15 million and contributes to the broader $38 million the company has accumulated to date when grants and loans are included.
The round included participation from Ecrowd NEXT, a new fund mechanism that allows broader individual investor participation, along with multiple corporate and individual backers. The new capital will accelerate the company’s Helix Program, supporting the development of high-temperature superconducting magnets and progress toward the next experimental device, Helix HARUKA. These investments are critical stepping stones on the path toward Helix KANATA, the company’s planned first commercial fusion power plant in the 2030s.
A Landmark Power Purchase Agreement
Helical Fusion has signed Japan’s first-ever fusion energy PPA with Aoki Super, a major regional supermarket chain. The agreement signals that commercial electricity buyers are beginning to plan for fusion as part of their long-term decarbonization strategies.
Under the PPA, Aoki Super intends to procure electricity from Helical Fusion’s future reactors once they begin commercial operation. The partnership aligns the retailer’s sustainability commitments with the company’s development roadmap and demonstrates increasing market confidence in fusion as a next-generation clean baseload energy source.
The collaboration is being positioned as a milestone for Japan’s broader industrial ecosystem, linking advanced fusion technology development with real-world energy procurement.
Pioneering Helical Fusion Technology
Helical Fusion is developing a reactor based on the helical stellarator concept, which uses intricately shaped magnetic fields to confine superheated plasma in a continuous and stable configuration. This approach builds on decades of Japanese fusion research and is engineered for steady-state operation and long-term maintainability.
Through the Helix Program, the company aims to build the world’s first commercially viable net-electricity fusion power plant in the 2030s. The timeline focuses on a phased approach, moving from experimental devices to integrated demonstrations and ultimately commercial deployment via the planned pilot plant, Helix KANATA.
The Global Race for Clean Energy
These advancements place Helical Fusion within a rapidly expanding global cohort of fusion startups seeking to turn fusion energy into a practical and scalable power source. Fusion, which replicates the processes that power the sun, is widely regarded as a promising route to clean, near-limitless energy.
With its latest funding extension and Japan’s first fusion-energy PPA, Helical Fusion has secured both the financial runway and market validation needed to pursue its ambitious development plan. The company is now positioned as one of Japan’s key contenders in the global drive toward sustainable, carbon-free energy generation.