Helion received Chelan County’s conditional use permit for its proposed Orion fusion power plant in Malaga, Washington, in October 2025. That land-use approval cleared one hurdle for the generator building; it was not the commercial building permit or a blanket authorization to construct, operate, or deliver electricity. In a June 16, 2026 update, Helion said initial earthwork for the generator building had begun, its office and assembly buildings were complete, and Washington’s Department of Health had issued two licenses.
What did Chelan County approve?
The county approved conditional use application CUP 2025-201 for a high-impact utility facility: a proposed fusion power plant that Helion calls Orion. The Hearing Examiner’s October 1, 2025 hearing and decision concerned whether the use could proceed at the site under the county’s land-use process. The decision’s indexed project description lists a 100,000-square-foot power generation building, an approximately 27,000-square-foot assembly building, a 6,000-square-foot office, a 150-space parking lot, and an 80,000-square-foot onsite substation. The county decision PDF was not available for review here, so its specific conditions and any appeal outcome are not established by the accessible record. Chelan County Hearing Examiner decisions.
In an October 15, 2025 announcement, Helion said the conditional use permit cleared the way for permitting and construction of the generator building. That phrasing does not mean the county had issued every construction permit or that the facility was cleared to operate. Helion’s October 15, 2025 announcement.
Is this the reactor building permit?
No. It is a land-use approval, not a commercial building permit for construction under building-code requirements. Chelan County’s August 2025 notice listed commercial building permits for the office, assembly, and fusion generation buildings separately from the conditional use application. Washington law likewise distinguishes building permits based on building-code compliance from local project permits. Chelan County’s application and environmental review notice; Washington Laws of 2026, Chapter 235.
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The county notice also listed specialized state and local approvals, including construction stormwater, air quality, onsite septic, radioactive materials and air emissions, X-ray registration, waste identification, low-level radioactive waste site use, and a decommissioning plan if required by Department of Health permitting. That list describes the applications and approvals identified in the August 2025 notice; it should not be read as a current checklist of items still outstanding.
| Approval or milestone | What it addresses | Status established by the cited record |
|---|---|---|
| Conditional use permit | County land-use approval for a high-impact utility facility | Chelan County approved it in October 2025. |
| Commercial building permits | Building-code construction for the office, assembly, and generator buildings | Listed separately in the county’s August 2025 notice; the sources cited here do not establish the complete current status of each permit. |
| State and local environmental, health, and operating-related approvals | Specialized oversight such as stormwater, air emissions, and radioactive materials | The county notice listed several approvals; Helion reported two Department of Health licenses issued by June 2026. |
| Construction and grid milestones | Physical work, interconnection, commissioning, and eventual electricity delivery | Helion reported initial generator-building earthwork and said it was working toward a transmission interconnection agreement in June 2026. The cited sources do not establish completed commissioning or delivery. |
Where is the Orion project?
Orion is in Malaga, Chelan County, on land Helion leases from Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD). Washington Department of Ecology’s June 2025 environmental review record gave the location as 1476 Nixon Rapids Lane and described a portion of PUD property to be leased by Helion. Ecology’s later facility record lists 7588 Malaga Alcoa Highway, formerly part of 1476 Nixon Rapids Lane. Those are different addresses in different records; they do not establish that the project moved. The county’s August 2025 notice identifies the property as Rural Industrial zoning. Washington Department of Ecology SEPA register; Ecology facility record, Facility Site ID 100004849.
Has construction of the generator building started?
As of Helion’s June 16, 2026 update, yes: the company said initial earthwork for the generator building had begun in spring 2026 and that construction of the office and assembly buildings was complete. Helion also reported that Washington’s Department of Health had issued Orion a Radioactive Materials License and a Radioactive Air Emissions License. The company said those licenses allowed it to continue building at the site. These are company-reported milestones as of that date, not confirmation of status after June 2026. Helion’s June 16, 2026 update.
Ecology’s facility record lists a Construction Stormwater General Permit interaction, program ID WAR314998, with a start date of August 20, 2025, and a hazardous waste generator interaction, WAY000202374, with a start date of January 27, 2026. The record names the site Helion Power Plant and lists Helion Energy Orion as an alternate name. These entries document specific interactions; they are not evidence that every permit or construction milestone is complete.
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Washington Ecology’s updated June 2, 2025 SEPA checklist projected Phase 1—grading, parking, an access road, and the assembly and office buildings—from May 2025 through July 2026. It projected Phase 2—the fusion generator building, onsite substation, and related limited transmission assets—from July 2026 through January 2027, followed by startup and commissioning. Those dates were project planning estimates. Helion’s later report that generator-building earthwork began in spring 2026 is a separate, dated progress update; neither source establishes completion of Phase 2 or commissioning.
The same SEPA filing forecast approximately 50 megawatts of electricity. This is a projected output in the environmental review, not demonstrated generation. Helion said in October 2025 that it remained on track for its goal of delivering electricity to Microsoft by the end of 2028 under its announced power purchase agreement, with Constellation Energy as power marketer. That is a company-stated target, not evidence that electricity has been delivered. Washington Department of Ecology SEPA register; Helion’s October 15, 2025 announcement.
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