Proxima Fusion to build Europe's first superconductor factory in Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony has signed a milestone-based MoU with Proxima Fusion to host what would be Germany's and Europe's first factory for high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tape, a class of superconducting material that carries current with almost no resistance and is used in the powerful magnets inside fusion reactors, MRI machines, and next-generation power grids.

Under the plan, Proxima and the state would invest around EUR140 million (USD46.5 million) through the end of 2029. Lower Saxony is committing roughly EUR21 million, or just under 30% of the public funding share. Proxima aims to split the total 50/50 between private capital and public money; the private half still has to close.

The factory's order book is concrete. Proxima's Alpha stellarator, a twisty magnetic-confinement fusion design, will need about 20,000 km of tape, and the planned Stellaris power plant at the former Gundremmingen nuclear site will need a further 40,000 km. Proxima, a Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics spinout, is in talks with international technology partners to bring established HTS manufacturing know-how to the state.

Beyond fusion, the capacity is positioned to feed high-performance electricity grids, medical imaging, and advanced propulsion. Lower Saxony Minister-President Olaf Lies framed the project as making the state a "pioneer in European HTS manufacturing," per World Nuclear News.

The framing is conditional: the private half of the 50/50 capital stack, partner negotiations, and permitting all remain open.