German startup Proxima Fusion to build €140m HTS tape plant
German startup Proxima Fusion plans to build a €140 million plant to produce high-temperature superconducting tape needed for its fusion reactors. Production will be financed with public and private funds, while the state of Lower Saxony will allocate €21 million to the project, TechCrunch reports.
Tape for plasma confinement
High-temperature superconducting tape, or HTS tape, is needed by Proxima Fusion to create powerful magnetic fields that will confine plasma for fusion reactions. This material makes it possible to create more compact and efficient reactor designs, as it can generate strong magnetic fields at relatively high temperatures.
Proxima Fusion's demonstration facility will require 20,000 kilometers of HTS tape. The company's commercial power plant will need twice as much — 40,000 kilometers.
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Tape production
China and Japan currently account for the majority of global HTS tape production. The future plant is intended to provide Proxima Fusion with a key component for its reactor design.
The project was announced several months after the company raised €411 million in funding. High-temperature superconductors have become one of the technologies driving the development of modern fusion energy startups. HTS tape is also used in other industries: Veir uses it to improve the energy efficiency and power density of data centers.
