Germany and Japan are preparing a commercial nuclear fusion power plant

German company Proxima Fusion has entered into cooperation agreements with Japanese industrial groups Fujikura and Kyoto Fusioneering to develop the technologies needed to build a commercial nuclear fusion power plant, CNBC reports.

The partnerships represent an important milestone for Proxima Fusion, which aims to help transform nuclear fusion into a commercial energy source. Cooperation with the two Japanese companies focuses on the industrial technologies and solutions needed to design and develop a power plant capable of producing energy through fusion.

Nuclear fusion replicates the process by which stars generate energy and is considered a potential abundant and clean source of power. Unlike conventional nuclear power plants, it does not rely on the splitting of atoms. Developing commercial facilities is, however, a complex objective requiring technological advances and major investment.

The agreements with Fujikura and Kyoto Fusioneering expand the German company’s international cooperation and bring European industry closer to important partners in Japan. The partnership could strengthen Europe’s position in the global race to secure an abundant, low-emission energy source available over the long term.