Orion is Helion's planned 50 MW fusion power plant in Malaga, Washington, designed to supply Microsoft under the first fusion power purchase agreement (signed 2023). Construction of support buildings began in July 2025 and a county permit for the generator building followed; initial operations are targeted for 2028.
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Current state
| Status | Under construction |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Malaga, Chelan County, Washington |
| Developer | Helion Energy |
| Developer type | Private |
| Concept | Field-reversed configuration |
| Fuel | D-He3 |
| Purpose | Commercial plant |
| Grid power target | 2028 |
| Target output (MWe) | 50 |
| Offtakers | Microsoft (50 MW PPA, 2023), Constellation (power marketer under Microsoft deal) |
| Site | Leased from Chelan County PUD; SEPA MDNS issued; conditional use permit granted for generator building |
| Private funding raised | USD 1.5bn (as of 2026-06-04) |
| Regulation | Needs Washington Department of Health radioactive-materials licensing plus state stormwater and air permits; Washington is an NRC Agreement State. |
Notes
Constellation's role as power marketer comes from the 2023 Microsoft PPA announcement (not re-opened here). Some secondary guides claim full 50 MW output would not arrive until 2029-30; Helion maintains 2028 initial operations. Net-energy target not published.
Timeline
- 2025 — Chelan County granted a conditional use permit for Orion's fusion generator building. (source)
- 2025-07 — Helion began construction of support buildings for Orion on land leased from Chelan County PUD in Malaga. (source)
- 2026-06-04 — Helion raised $465 million, partly to support ongoing Orion construction. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
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Sources
- Orion — Helion Energy (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Helion begins construction on fusion power plant — American Public Power Association, checked 2026-10-11
- Helion lands permit for reactor building construction at Washington site — GeekWire, checked 2026-10-11
- Helion Raises $465 Million Series G Funding Round — Helion Energy (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Fusion startup Helion hits blistering temps as it races toward 2028 deadline — TechCrunch, checked 2026-10-11