Germany and Japan Prepare to Build the World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant
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Germany could have the world’s first commercial fusion power plant by the end of the 2030s, generating electricity through nuclear fusion and feeding it into the grid. The plant is planned for the site of the former Gundremmingen nuclear power plant in Bavaria.
The project is being developed by German company Proxima Fusion, founded in 2023, which has so far raised more than EUR 650 million in investment, mainly from private investors.
The first step will be the construction of the Alpha demonstration facility in Bavaria, planned for the early 2030s. Its purpose is to demonstrate that a fusion reaction can produce more energy than is required to sustain it. This will be followed by plans to build the commercial Stellaris power plant in Gundremmingen, where the former nuclear power plant was located and whose connection to the electricity grid has been preserved.
Although the first experimental and commercial facilities are already being developed in the United States, it remains uncertain which country will be the first to bring fusion into commercial operation. The German Federal Government has set the goal of building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant in Germany.
Through its Fusion Action Plan, which has around EUR 2.4 billion earmarked for implementation during the current legislative term, Berlin aims not only to support reactor construction but also to develop a domestic industry capable of manufacturing components needed for future facilities.
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One step in this direction is the cooperation between German company Proxima Fusion and Japanese company Kyoto Fusioneering, formalised in late October with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Tokyo. The agreement expands cooperation on the development of technologies essential for future fusion power plants, particularly plasma heating systems and fuel supply technologies. The industrial-scale production of these components remains a challenge.
Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of Proxima Fusion, stressed that the global race to develop fusion will be won in factories, through the development of industrial manufacturing capabilities, rather than through scientific achievements alone. Combining Japan’s experience in fusion engineering with Germany’s expertise in developing this technology is expected to help establish the industrial foundation for future facilities. The need to develop such capabilities in Europe was also highlighted by Proxima Fusion co-founder Lucio Milanese at the WinWin event in Brussels on 3 November.
He warned that Europe should not repeat its experience in the solar industry, where, after helping to develop the market, it lost a large share of its manufacturing capacity to China. In his view, fusion development offers an opportunity to keep the production of key equipment and the creation of new jobs in Europe.
