Tokamak Energy & Furukawa Electric to build joint magnet facility

19 June 2025

Tokamak Energy and Japan’s Furukawa Electric Group have agreed to establish a joint manufacturing facility in Japan to produce critical magnetic components for fusion power plants.  The partnership was announced alongside the announcement of a broader UK-Japan government collaboration on fusion energy.

The companies plan to manufacture high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology at the new facility, building on an existing supply agreement that will see Furukawa deliver several hundred kilometres of specialised superconducting tape for Tokamak Energy’s next prototype reactor. The collaboration centres on Tokamak Energy’s ST80-HTS reactor, which will be the world’s first high-field spherical tokamak using HTS magnets at scale. The device represents a key milestone toward the company’s planned ST-E1 pilot plant, designed to demonstrate grid-connected fusion power generation in the early 2030s with up to 200MW of net electrical output.

“Our magnet technology is an essential part of turning the promise of limitless clean fusion energy into commercial reality,” said Warrick Matthews, Tokamak Energy’s chief executive. “This new venture with Furukawa Electric Group will ramp up our manufacturing capabilities and open a new era of superconducting performance in a range of sectors.” Hideya Moridaira, President, Furukawa Electric Group, said: “ By combining our HTS technology with Tokamak Energy’s innovative fusion technology, we are confident we can contribute meaningfully to the next generation of energy solutions.”

Furukawa Electric, which invested in Tokamak Energy in December 2023, brings decades of superconducting technology expertise to the partnership. Tokamak Energy’s magnets use superconducting tape manufactured with rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) material, produced by Furukawa Electric and its US subsidiary SuperPower Inc. Production has already commenced at SuperPower’s New York facility, with initial batches successfully delivered to Tokamak Energy. The companies are now evaluating scale-up plans for future commercial fusion plants. The partnership, however, extends beyond fusion energy applications. Both companies plan to explore uses for their HTS technology in data centres, electric motors, power distribution, and various transportation sectors including aerospace.

The joint facility will also support the FAST (Fusion Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) development project, a private-sector collaboration led by Starlight Engine Ltd that aims to contribute to Japan’s Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy, demonstrating fusion-based electricity generation in the 2030s.