North Korea realta fusion inc

What is Realta fusion?

Rather than a tokamak or a stellarator, Realta is applying HTS magnets to arguably the simplest MCF scheme: the magnetic mirror. And unlike most other fusion startups, they are not aiming for electricity production, but industrial process heat, a necessity for the production of steel, cement, petrochemicals, etc. Thanks for reading Fusion Hub!

How much does Realta Fusion cost?

Realta Fusion was spun-out from UW Madison in 2022. Their experimental timeline consists of 3 devices: $10 million from ARPA-E is funding WHAM, but the next devices will cost even more to build and operate ($50 million in REBCO tape alone for WHAM++, although that is expected to be the majority of the cost).

What's happening with Realta & Proxima fusion?

In fact, Realta’s announcement isn’t the only one this week. On Tuesday, another startup, Proxima Fusion, announced a €7 million seed round led by Plural Platform and UVC Partners to commercialize the stellarator technology developed at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics for its Wendelstein 7-X reactor.

Is fusion a good alternative to industrial heat?

Industrial heat alone represents nearly 10% of carbon pollution in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy. Fusion, unlike some other decarbonized power sources, works best when it’s run 24-7, a set that jibes with many users of industrial-strength heat like chemical refining or metal smelting.

Does Realta fusion manufacture HTS Magnets?

It may be surprising to hear that Realta Fusion is actually collaborating with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to manufacture Realta’s HTS magnets. It’s less suprising when you consider that CFS is really a magnet company first, and a tokamak company second.

Is fusion power a good investment?

Realta estimates that industrial heat demand in the chemical refining sector alone is worth $76 billion. Fusion power is the sort of high-risk, high-reward bet that was once the stock-and-trade for venture capital firms.