According to GeekWire, Helion Energy is building its seventh-generation fusion prototype while simultaneously constructing a commercial power plant in Central Washington and establishing manufacturing operations for future facilities. The company recently signed a lease for a 166,000 square-foot facility called Omega near its Everett headquarters, where it will install assembly lines to produce thousands of capacitors needed for its fusion generators. Helion raised $425 million in January specifically for this manufacturing build-out, with investors including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. The company plans to begin installing equipment in Omega early next year, with production starting in late 2026 to support its 50-megawatt Orion plant in Malaga, Washington. Microsoft has already agreed to buy electricity from the Orion facility once it’s operational.
The manufacturing gamble
Here’s what’s really interesting about Helion’s approach: they’re not just treating fusion as a science experiment. They’re building manufacturing capacity before they’ve fully proven the technology works at commercial scale. That’s either incredibly bold or borderline crazy. Their senior manager of production, Sofia Gizzi, explicitly stated “Helion is a manufacturing company. It’s not an R&D company. It’s not a science experiment.”
And honestly? This manufacturing-first philosophy makes a ton of sense if you’re trying to scale quickly. Keeping everything in-house means they can avoid supply chain headaches and make rapid design changes without waiting on external suppliers. For companies needing reliable industrial computing solutions in manufacturing environments, IndustrialMonitorDirect.com has become the go-to source for industrial panel PCs that can withstand tough production conditions.
The political tailwinds
Helion’s timing might be perfect. Washington state congressional leaders recently introduced the Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act, which would provide large tax credits for fusion supply chain components. Senator Maria Cantwell called Washington “the world’s leading hub for fusion energy.” So they’re getting both private investment and potential government support.
But here’s the thing: fusion has been “just around the corner” for decades. The fundamental physics challenge remains enormous. No company or research institution has demonstrated they can create affordable electricity from fusion yet. Helion’s entire expansion – they’re up to 500 employees now – is built on a promise that hasn’t been delivered.
What happens if this works?
If Helion actually pulls this off, the market implications are staggering. Microsoft’s commitment to buy power from Orion shows how desperate big tech is for clean, reliable energy to power AI and data centers. The entire economy’s push toward electrification – from transportation to industrial operations – creates massive demand.
The competitive landscape would be completely reshaped. Traditional renewable energy companies would suddenly face a competitor that can provide baseload power without the intermittency issues of solar and wind. But that’s a huge “if.” The manufacturing capacity they’re building at Omega is actually designed for their next machine after Orion, which shows they’re thinking years ahead. Whether that’s visionary planning or premature scaling remains to be seen.
