Tokyo, Dec 09 — Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; “Helical Fusion”), a company developing a commercially viable Helical Stellarator power plant under its “Helix Program”, has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Aoki Super Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Aichi, Japan; “Aoki Super”), a major regional supermarket chain in central Japan.
This marks the first fusion-energy PPA ever signed in Japan, representing a concrete step forward in the real-world adoption of fusion energy and signaling growing demand-side engagement in the emerging fusion energy value chain.
Significance of This Agreement
Fusion energy—generated by reproducing on Earth the same nuclear fusion reactions that power the sun—is widely expected as a high-efficiency, sustainable energy source. Since the concept was proposed in the 1930s, global attention has focused primarily on the scientific and technical challenges of realizing fusion. However, for fusion to become part of real-world energy infrastructure, the presence of customers willing to procure fusion-generated electricity and to integrate it into their long-term decarbonization strategies is essential.
Under the Helix Program, Helical Fusion begins with a simple premise: fusion must function as a reliable power source. Working backward from this goal, the company defined three non-negotiable requirements—steady-state operation, net electricity, and maintainability—and selected the Helical Stellarator as the only design capable of meeting all three with existing technology. Helical Fusion’s approach is grounded in over 60 years of Japanese national fusion research, enabling the company to outline a credible technical pathway to continuous, net-electricity operation.
The newly signed PPA demonstrates that this 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. Both companies share the view that fusion energy can underpin environmentally responsible retail operations that support everyday life.
The agreement is also an important milestone for the Helix Program, whose distinctive strength lies in mobilizing Japan’s entire industrial value chain—from advanced manufacturing to end-users—to accelerate the realization of fusion energy.