“One fusion company, Helion has signed a purchase power agreement with microsoft to provide one of their facilities in Washington state with electricity from their fusion plant for .01@kwh. That contract stipulates the due date as 2028”
No one in the media has seen the contract and Helion has not released details. $0.01 is a target but they would be losing money at that price.
NRC hasno licensing process for fusion reactors. Even under the NRC Standard Nuclear Plant licensing it still takes years to get the licenses.
If they could produce cheap electricity there is a ready market for that at higher prices without having a contact that could penalize them if they fail to deliver.
It seems to me that this type of contact would only be negotiated if Microsoft invested in the company.
here’s a couple news releases on it.
https://www.geekwire.com/2023/microsoft-and-helion-want-to-build-the-worlds-first-fusion-plant-and-seize-energys-holy-grail/
The power purchase agreement requires Helion to start generating electricity on a set schedule — or pay financial penalties to Microsoft and Constellation. While the agreement carries a risk to Helion, it also unlocks essential benefits, Kirtley said.
The commercial project will largely be licensed and regulated by the state Department of Health, which previously approved three of Helion’s test devices. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission delegated authority to the state for radiation safety oversight decades ago. The process is expected to be faster and more straightforward than what’s required for traditional nuclear plants powered by fission, or the splitting of radioactive elements, which poses more serious health and safety risks than fusion.
Amy Roma, a nuclear regulatory lawyer and head of the global energy practice at the law firm Hogan Lovells, agrees there are obstacles for Helion and others in the sector.
But Roma also sees the necessary elements for success coalescing: technological milestones are being met, there’s government support of the sector and regulations taking shape, and there’s an influx of funding and ready customers.
“All the pieces,” she told GeekWire, “are coming together nicely.”
Here’a a couple more news releases. I don’t know that they add much more.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/microsoft-agrees-to-buy-power-from-sam-altman-backed-helion-in-2028.html#:~:text=Clean%20Energy-,Microsoft%20agrees%20to%20buy%20electricity%20generated%20from%20Sam%20Altman,fusion%20company%20Helion%20in%202028&text=Microsoft%20said%20Wednesday%20it%20has,electricity%20from%20it%20in%202028.
https://www.helionenergy.com/articles/helion-announces-worlds-first-fusion-ppa-with-microsoft/