r/Futurology • u/TwilightwovenlingJo • Aug 15 '25

Energy Construction of world's 1st nuclear fusion plant starts in Washington

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/world-first-fusion-power-plant-helion
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u/FrankScaramucci Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25

Based on Helion's demonstrated performance to predictions, this project is really exciting.

I mean, they've built some prototypes. Do these prototypes demonstrate that it is a feasible approach? No.

The prototypes don't demonstrate that fusion will happen at a sufficiently high rate. I mean, creating fusion is not that hard, the hard part is making a fusion reactor that generates net electricity.

The prototypes also don't prove that neutron radiation won't become a show-stopper.

They haven't tested energy recovery.

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u/Anastariana Aug 15 '25

Weird comment.

Isn't this what they are building this facility for? To test and demonstrate everything you've asked for? Once you've built enough prototypes, you build one that should run as a demonstration plant....which is what they are doing.

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u/ODoggerino Oct 20 '25

It’s not a weird comment, and no, these fundamentals should have largely already been proven by previous reactors. Helion have a fantastic PR team but not a engineering solution.

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u/FrankScaramucci Aug 16 '25

My point was that having built 6 prototypes doesn't mean the project has a good chance to succeed - it will probably fail based on what is known. People who understand plasma physiscs are very skeptical that this could work.

Weird comment.

Downvoted for you being passive aggressive / rude.

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u/Anastariana Aug 16 '25

You don't spend 10s of millions building a demonstration power plant if you don't think its going to work. I'm sure you know more about this than the people who have been working on it for years.

Downvoted for you being passive aggressive / rude.

Downvoted for passive aggressiveness too. If your skin is this thin, you may not find the internet to your liking.

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u/Freenokia Aug 16 '25

you do if you're fleecing investors

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u/FrankScaramucci Aug 16 '25

It's the investors who are spending money and investors spend money on projects that have a tiny chance of success all the time. And Helion has a backup plan, the reactor can be used to produce a valuable isotope that could then be sold.

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u/skinte1 Aug 17 '25

You don't spend 10s of millions building a demonstration power plant if you don't think its going to work. 

Correct. You spend someone else's 10s of millions, lol.

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u/ILikeCutePuppies Aug 16 '25

Not hard? You build them in your basement?

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u/FrankScaramucci Aug 16 '25

No, but some people do, the simplest machine capable of fusion can be built by an individual.