nT-Tao and Orion sign MoU on US deployment of up-to-20 MW fusion system

nT-Tao and Orion Nuclear Energy Corporation announced on September 21, 2026 a memorandum of understanding under which Orion will act as US project development and commercialization partner for nT-Tao's Compact Fusion System, the companies said in a GlobeNewswire release. The release describes the system as an on-site fusion unit designed to deliver up to 20 MW of continuous electricity on a customer's own site, and says it "remains under active development."

Under the MoU, per the release, Orion will support identifying potential customers and power offtakers, evaluating project sites, structuring financing and engaging with utilities, infrastructure providers and regulators, while nT-Tao supplies the system design, performance data, roadmap and deployment expertise. The companies "plan to work toward identifying a limited number of initial U.S. opportunities for further evaluation." The release names no dollar figure, investment, specific site, customer or timetable.

On the technology's status, the release says the C3 prototype reached operational status and first plasma in January 2026, and that in September 2026 the company deployed a 50 MW pulsed-power subsystem, a five-fold increase in power capability. nT-Tao's September 15 release describes that subsystem as 50 Power Electronic Generators of approximately 1 MW each, a roughly five-fold scale-up from a 12-generator, approximately 10 MW predecessor, and says it is designed to drive the C3 series toward its next major temperature milestone, "building on the 1.5 million degrees Celsius already demonstrated."

Orion chairman and CEO John Aycoth said in the release that "microreactors currently in development are in the one-to-ten megawatt range, while utility-scale SMRs start well above fifty." The release says Orion is developing small modular reactor, micro-modular reactor and data center projects across six US states; Orion's website lists them as Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Montana. The low end of Aycoth's range is the field in which five US microreactor designs went critical in zero-power tests in the summer of 2026.

The deal follows the shape of Madison Gas and Electric's September 2, 2026 partnership with Realta Fusion, in which MGE's parent, MGE Energy, made a direct equity investment of undisclosed size and the utility agreed to provide equipment, engineering and technical support plus help with siting, permitting, interconnection and financing; here the partner is a project developer, and the release mentions no stake.