Helical Fusion Selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Innovation Promotion Program for Realizing Zero Emission

Helical Fusion Selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Innovation Promotion Program

Conceptual image of liquid metal blanket

Conceptual Image of Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion’s Fusion Pilot Plant

Up to JPY 1 billion in support over three years to accelerate development of a new blanket system, a key component for fusion power

TOKYO, 東京都, JAPAN, April 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. (“Helical Fusion”; Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takaya Taguchi), a company working to realize next-generation clean energy through fusion, today announced that it has been selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s FY2026 “Innovation Promotion Program for Realizing Zero Emission Tokyo” (Zero Emission Category).

This program provides partial financial support for the development, improvement, demonstration, and market expansion of products and services commercialized by Tokyo-based startups and small and medium-sized enterprises through open innovation with business partners and other organizations. Selected projects may receive up to JPY 1 billion in support over a three-year period.

The selected project theme is: “A Novel Liquid Metal Wall to Extend the Lifetime of Fusion Power Plants.”
The project focuses on developing a new type of blanket, a core component that receives the energy generated by fusion reactions as heat that can then be used for power generation. To support the practical deployment of fusion energy as a next-generation, carbon-free power source, Helical Fusion will advance an innovative blanket design that uses liquid metal as a material to improve both plant efficiency and operational lifetime.

What is fusion energy?
Fusion energy is produced by recreating on Earth the same principle that powers the sun. It is expected to become a transformative energy technology because it emits no CO2 during operation, uses fuel derived from abundant resources such as seawater, and is inherently easier to control safely because it does not involve runaway reactions.

Tokyo’s support for deep tech and open innovation
This selection highlights Tokyo’s commitment to supporting not only decarbonization, but also the commercialization of deep-tech innovation through collaboration across startups, industry, and academia.
Fusion energy requires more than scientific progress alone. It also requires the integration of advanced manufacturing, thermal engineering, materials technology, and plant systems engineering. Helical Fusion believes that this kind of open innovation—supported by forward-looking public policy—is essential to turning fusion from a promising technology into real-world energy infrastructure.

Under the selected project, Helical Fusion will work with Japanese manufacturers and universities to advance demonstration activities by combining expertise in materials, mechanical systems, and heat management. By leveraging both Tokyo’s support framework and Japan’s industrial strengths, the company aims to accelerate concrete progress toward fusion commercialization.

Importance of the blanket
Inside a fusion power plant, the blanket, which faces the plasma and receives its energy, is exposed to extremely high heat loads. To operate a power plant stably over a long period, a system is needed that can continuously remove this heat efficiently while minimizing damage to surrounding components. However, no standard approach has yet been established globally.

Through the selected project, “A Novel Liquid Metal Wall to Extend the Lifetime of Fusion Power Plants,” Helical Fusion will address this challenge with an innovative concept: a “moving wall” made of flowing liquid metal. Compared with more conventional blanket concepts based only on solid materials, this approach is expected to offer advantages in efficiency, maintainability, and plant lifetime. In addition, the project will verify maintenance methods for surrounding blanket systems, helping improve overall plant availability and support the economic viability of future commercial plants.

Conceptual image of liquid metal blanket

About the Innovation Promotion Program for Realizing Zero Emission Tokyo
For more details on the selected projects, please refer to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s official announcement. (Japanese)
https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/information/press/2026/03/2026033021

Helix Program for commercial fusion power
The company’s long-term objective is to realize what it defines as the three essential requirements for a commercially viable fusion power plant:
• continuous operation — stable operation 24/7/365
• net electricity — supplying electricity beyond the plant’s own consumption
• maintainability — enabling practical servicing and high uptime
Under the “Helix Program”, Helical Fusion aims to complete standalone demonstrations of its two major technical pillars—high-temperature superconducting magnets and the blanket-divertor system—during the 2020s, followed by integrated demonstration with Helix HARUKA and first-of-a-kind power generation with Helix KANATA in the 2030s.

Conceptual Image of Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion’s Fusion Pilot Plant

About Helical Fusion Co., Ltd.
Founded in 2021 based on fusion research originating at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. is developing a Helical Stellarator to enable commercially viable fusion power. The company is advancing the Helix Program, a roadmap to complete standalone demonstrations of key technologies in the 2020s, achieve integrated demonstration with Helix HARUKA, and deliver first-of-a-kind power generation with Helix KANATA in the 2030s.

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Helical Fusion "Helix KANATA" -World's First Steady-State Net Power Fusion Plant -

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