Proxima Fusion and Lower Saxony signed an MoU for a planned €140 million HTS tape factory.
Why it matters: The project targets a supply-chain bottleneck for fusion hardware. It also signals how regional governments and private capital are backing early industrial infrastructure for the sector.
- Proxima Fusion and the State of Lower Saxony signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 9, 2026.
- The planned investment is about €140 million across the first two project phases, with Lower Saxony pledging €21 million.
- Proxima says its Alpha demonstrator will need roughly 20,000 kilometers of HTS tape, and Stellaris about 40,000 kilometers.
- The company says industrial-scale HTS tape production is concentrated mainly in Asia.
Proxima Fusion and the State of Lower Saxony signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 9, 2026, to plan a large-scale facility in Germany that would produce fusion-grade high-temperature superconducting tape, or HTS tape. The agreement is not yet a final build contract. Proxima said the project is meant to support its reactor roadmap and reduce dependence on a supply chain it says is concentrated mainly in Asia. Proxima Fusion said the first two phases of the project would total about €140 million, with Lower Saxony committing €21 million.
HTS tape is a key material for Proxima's stellarator-based fusion approach. The company says its Alpha demonstrator will require about 20,000 kilometers of the tape, while its planned Stellaris commercial plant will need about 40,000 kilometers. Those figures show why the material matters: fusion hardware needs large volumes of specialized tape, so supply constraints can shape how quickly projects move from prototypes to larger machines. Proxima's technology page says it is developing stellarator fusion systems and notes that the Stellarator Model Coil is a demonstration HTS stellarator magnet under manufacture with partners.
TechCrunch also reported the announcement on Sept. 10, 2026, saying the company plans a €140 million factory for a critical fusion input. TechCrunch reported the move as an effort to bring key manufacturing in-house, but it largely echoed Proxima's own framing.
The announcement follows Proxima's July 2026 funding round, when the company said it raised €411 million at a €2.4 billion valuation. Proxima said that financing made it one of Europe’s best-funded fusion startups. The Lower Saxony project fits that industrial buildout, but the key point is still the same: the companies have announced plans, not a completed factory.
Olaf Lies, Minister-President of Lower Saxony, said: "We are making Lower Saxony a pioneer in European HTS manufacturing." Proxima CEO Dr Francesco Sciortino said: "HTS tape is one of the critical technologies needed to scale fusion rapidly at an industrial level."
By the numbers
- €140 million - planned investment across the first two project phases
- €21 million - Lower Saxony's pledged contribution
- 20,000 kilometers and 40,000 kilometers - Proxima's estimated HTS tape needs for Alpha and Stellaris
Yes, but: The project is still at the memorandum-of-understanding stage, so the factory has not yet been finalized.
What's next: Proxima and Lower Saxony will need to move from the MoU to a binding development and financing process.