Japanese fusion start-up Helical Fusion has signed the country's first-ever fusion-energy power purchase agreement (PPA) with Aoki Super, a leading supermarket chain operating primarily in central Japan.

Under the agreement, Aoki Super will purchase electricity generated by 2040 from Helical Fusion's planned pilot fusion power plant, which is based on the stellarator concept. The company states that the PPA reflects a concrete commitment from a large commercial electricity user that operates stores requiring stable, round-the-clock power supply.

Helical Fusion, founded in 2021 by former banker Takaya Taguchi and two researchers from Japan's National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), is developing a steady-state stellarator reactor. The technology draws on decades of research conducted at NIFS's Large Helical Device (LHD), one of the world's leading stellarator facilities.

The company's roadmap, known as the Helix Programme, includes two main stages: Helix HARUKA, an intermediate-scale device for technology validation, and Helix KANATA, a full-scale pilot plant targeting 50–100 MW of net electrical output. Helical Fusion aims to achieve commercial electricity production from the pilot reactor around 2040.

The PPA "demonstrates that its development plan has been concretely evaluated by a real electricity consumer, Aoki Super, which requires large amounts of electricity every day to operate its store networks," the company said in a statement.

Both parties emphasized that fusion energy aligns with long-term environmental goals for retail operations. In July 2025, Aoki Super made a strategic equity investment in Helical Fusion as part of its own sustainability initiative. That month, Helical Fusion completed a Series A funding round of ￥2.3 billion ($15 million), bringing total capital raised - including grants and loans - to ￥5.2 billion to advance the Helix Programme.

The agreement marks a milestone for the Japanese fusion sector by establishing the first direct commercial offtake commitment for future fusion-generated electricity.

by power-technology