News
Thea Energy lands $20M federal grant to build its magnets for fusion reactors
For hard-tech startups, manufacturing is a pricey endeavor. Now, Thea Energy has a leg up courtesy of a Department of Energy grant.
The fusion power startup told TechCrunch Monday that it has received a $20 million award from ARPA-E to help manufacture its modular high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.
HTS magnets are costly but important components in any magnetic confinement reactor, one of the two main ways startups are attempting to harness fusion power for commercial purposes. In magnetic confinement reactors, powerful magnetic fields contain and compress plasma, helping to heat the particles until the fuel can fuse and release large amounts of energy.
Thea’s reactor is based on a design known as a stellarator. Stellarators look like inner tubes that have been twisted and squeezed in ways that help it confine the plasma more effectively. Most stellarators use magnets that are built to mimic those twists and turns, which makes them expensive to manufacture.
To minimize manufacturing costs, Thea uses fewer variants. The 12 large magnets that do the heavy lifting are made from four different templates, and the more than 300 smaller magnets used to fine tune the plasma are all identical. They’re arrayed around the periphery of the reactor, similar to how pixels are distributed across a computer display.
The small magnets are controlled by software, an arrangement should allow for more forgiving construction tolerances, which could lower costs, Thea says.
Thea is among the top funded fusion power startups, having raised $100 million in May on top of a $20 million Series A it raised in 2024. Like many of its peers, Thea has plans to build a commercial scale fusion power plant in the mid-2040s.
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Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has called for calm and unity amid the growing crisis within world football’s governing body, insisting that the FIFA presidential election in March 2027 should provide the appropriate platform for members to determine the organisation’s direction.
Speaking in Salzburg around the UEFA Super Cup, Motsepe said the current disagreements should not descend into prolonged internal conflict, urging all sides to respect FIFA’s electoral and governance processes.
Read Also: ‘Africa Must Protect Its Interests’ — CAF’s Lux September Speaks on FIFA Crisis | Sports247 Nigeria
FIFA’s 211 member associations are expected to decide the organisation’s leadership at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, on March 18, 2027. Current president Gianni Infantino is seeking another term.
Motsepe maintained that the election should allow the various candidates and member associations to make their positions clear through the established democratic process rather than through continued public confrontation.
The CAF president also reiterated his support for Infantino, describing him as a leader who has shown commitment to African football.
“Gianni Infantino has been loyal to Africa and has shown a deep commitment to African development and growth.”
His comments come amid a major dispute over FIFA’s proposed Forward Enterprise, which involved plans for private investment in FIFA competitions and triggered strong opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and other stakeholders. FIFA eventually abandoned the proposal after widespread criticism over transparency and the consultation process.
Motsepe said the current situation should instead encourage dialogue, cooperation and respect for due process.
Africa’s position could be particularly influential at the election because CAF’s 54 member associations represent the second-largest voting bloc in FIFA, behind UEFA’s 55.
With the FIFA presidential contest approaching, Motsepe’s position keeps CAF firmly aligned behind Infantino while other confederations continue to demand changes in FIFA’s leadership and governance.
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