Wedoany.com Report-Oct. 27, Helion Energy, a US fusion energy developer, has received a Conditional Use Permit from Chelan County, Washington, allowing the company to move forward with permitting and construction of the fusion generator building for its Orion fusion power plant in Malaga. The permit covers the establishment of a High Impact Utility Facility for power generation through fusion, following a period of public notice, comment, and a hearing examiner’s decision.

David Kirtley, Helion co-founder and CEO, said: “This is another important step toward a future of abundant, clean, safe, affordable energy. As a company of builders with a single-minded focus on making electricity from fusion commercially practical, we couldn’t be more excited to move into this next phase of construction for the Orion power plant.”

Construction of supporting buildings for the Orion plant began in July 2025 on land leased from the Chelan County Public Utilities District, following a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance under Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act. Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay commented: “I applaud their willingness to engage the community, to understand and address the questions and concerns, and their commitment to doing their homework, which aided Helion in getting to this important point in the permitting process. Central Washington is known as the Buckle of the Power Belt for its foresight decades ago of bringing hydropower to the state. To be the home of fusion energy would enhance the legacy of our area as a continued leader in clean energy production.”

Helion is developing a cost-effective, zero-carbon fusion power plant using its patented pulsed, non-ignition fusion technology. The company says the plant will provide “flexible, scalable, baseload power that is affordable, providing the world a new path to full decarbonisation of electricity generation.”

Helion’s approach differs from other fusion methods in three main ways. It uses a pulsed fusion system, which helps overcome complex physics challenges, keeps the fusion device compact, and allows adjustable power output. Secondly, electricity is recovered directly rather than using steam turbines, which reduces energy loss. Thirdly, the system uses deuterium and helium-3 as fuel, maintaining efficiency and compact design.

The company has built seven working prototypes and in June 2021 became the first private fusion company to achieve 100-million-degree plasma temperatures with its sixth generator prototype, Trenta. Helion plans for Orion, its first power plant, to be operational by 2028, targeting power generation of 50 MWe or more after a one-year ramp-up period. The Conditional Use Permit keeps the project on track for this timeline.

In May 2023, Helion signed an agreement with Microsoft to supply electricity from Orion’s first fusion power plant. Constellation Energy will act as the power marketer and manage transmission for the project.

With the permitting milestone achieved, Helion continues progressing toward delivering a commercial, zero-carbon fusion power solution, marking a significant step in advancing scalable, clean energy in the United States.