Germany’s First Fusion Plant? Not Yet. Here’s What Marvel Fusion Is Actually Building

Short answer: No—Marvel Fusion is not building a power plant right now. The $150 million project in Colorado is a laser research facility, not a grid-ready plant. But the story is more interesting than a simple yes or no.

Read on to see where the hype ends, where the science begins, and what to watch as Germany and the U.S. race to turn fusion from promise into power.

The Big Correction: A “First Power Plant” That Isn’t

The original article claimed Marvel Fusion’s “first power plant” is under construction in the U.S. That’s misleading.

• The Colorado project with Colorado State University is a high‑power laser research facility (ATLAS), not a power plant. No electricity‑generating Marvel Fusion plant is being built today.
• Groundbreaking took place in October 2024, with opening targeted for mid‑2026. Its job: test and mature the laser‑driven fusion tech, not feed power to the grid.

Source: CSU’s announcement spells this out clearly: research facility, not plant. newsmediarelations.colostate.edu

What Marvel Fusion Is Betting On

Marvel Fusion, a Munich startup founded in 2019, is pursuing laser‑driven inertial confinement fusion with an ambitious twist: aneutronic proton–boron (p–B11) fuel. In plain English: they want to use ultra‑powerful lasers to slam fuel so hard that atomic nuclei fuse, releasing energy—ideally with fewer neutrons and less long‑lived radioactive waste than the standard tritium‑based route.

• Company, approach, and stage check out with public coverage and company materials. CNBC
• Why build in the U.S.? Marvel says the U.S. offers clearer milestone funding and a better regulatory path; Germany wasn’t ready to finance a demo when they needed it. Clean Energy Wire

The Bold Claims—And What The Evidence Says

The original article offered sweeping promises. Here’s what holds up, what needs context, and what’s simply not verified.

1. “No safety risks, no toxic substances”

• Verdict: Overstated.
• Reality: Fusion is safer than fission in key ways, but not risk‑free. Even aneutronic concepts have hazards:
  • Intense X‑ray radiation and extreme laser energies
  • Some secondary neutron production and materials activation
  • Conventional industrial risks
  • Tritium handling issues exist for DT‑based systems (not Marvel’s target fuel), but it shows why “no risk” is too strong.
• Authorities and experts describe fusion’s radiological footprint as low but nonzero. CNBC

2. “Resources secured for the next 100,000 years”

• Verdict: Aspirational marketing, not a sourced estimate.
• Reality: Boron is abundant and energy‑dense on paper. But availability depends on mining rates, costs, enrichment (B‑11 is ~80% of natural boron), and geopolitics. Turkey dominates refined borates via state‑owned Eti Maden—hardly “risk‑free” on dependency. USGS

3. “500 MW net by the mid‑2030s”

• Verdict: Unverified and highly ambitious.
• Reality: Marvel and other private players often target 400–500 MWe plant designs and early‑to‑mid‑2030s timelines. Independent confirmation is lacking. Public programs—like the UK’s STEP—aim for the 2040s, suggesting Marvel’s schedule is aggressive. Treat 500 MWe in the mid‑2030s as a company goal, not an externally validated plan. Financial Times

4. “First plant underway in the U.S.”

• Verdict: Incorrect as stated.
• Reality: It’s a laser research facility to support the tech, not a power plant. CSU release

The Hard Part No Press Release Can Skip

p–B11 fusion is enticing because it could sidestep many neutron‑related issues. But it’s also far tougher than the mainstream deuterium‑tritium path:

• Much higher temperatures required
• Strong bremsstrahlung (X‑ray) losses that bleed energy
• New ideas like “alpha channeling,” distribution shaping, or “demixing” are promising, but still research‑stage

Peer‑reviewed work underscores these technical hurdles. Translation: exciting concept, not yet proven at power‑plant‑grade gain. Phys. Rev. E

What’s Actually True—and Big

Not everything is hype. Some claims are solid and significant:

• Funding: Marvel Fusion has secured more than €385 million to date—about €170 million in private equity plus ~€215 million from public collaborative projects (as reported after its Series B extension). P+P Pöllath
• U.S. facility: ~$150 million laser facility with Colorado State University, groundbreaking in October 2024, target opening mid‑2026. CSU
• Germany’s policy push: Berlin unveiled a fusion research program in 2024 (“Fusion 2040”). An Action Plan for Fusion has been adopted, with reporting describing funding in the billions through 2029. BMBF
• Real competition: Munich’s Proxima Fusion (stellarator route) raised €130m in June 2025, later extended to bring total funding to €200m—evidence of a serious homegrown race. Proxima Fusion

How We Checked

We compared the original claims with:

• University partner releases and construction updates (to verify what’s being built)
• Company and investor announcements (to confirm funding totals)
• Reputable media coverage (to test timelines and safety framing)
• Scientific literature (to assess p–B11 difficulty)

Key sources: CSU, P+P Pöllath, CNBC, Clean Energy Wire, Phys. Rev. E, USGS, FT, Proxima Fusion, BMBF.

The Tension: Hype vs. Hope

• The promise: A cleaner, abundant energy source that could reshape geopolitics and decarbonize heavy industry.
• The catch: No one has delivered net electric power to the grid yet. Laser systems must fire reliably and often; fuels must produce more energy than the system consumes; costs must fall dramatically.

Marvel Fusion is pushing a difficult but potentially cleaner path. The CSU facility is a necessary step. Calling it a “first power plant” jumps the gun.

What To Watch Next

• The Colorado laser facility’s opening and early experimental results (mid‑2026 target)
• Independent validation of energy gain milestones, not just company claims
• Clear, sourced specifications for any proposed 500 MWe plant
• Germany’s funding follow‑through under the Action Plan and how it compares to U.S. support
• Moves by rivals like Proxima Fusion and others in Europe, the U.S., and the U.K.

Bottom Line

• True: Marvel Fusion’s funding totals; the $150m research facility with CSU; Germany’s new fusion policy momentum; real competition in Germany.
• Misleading: Calling the CSU project a power plant; saying fusion has “no safety risks” or “no toxic substances.”
• Unverified/ambitious: A 500 MWe plant operating in the mid‑2030s—treat as a target, not a confirmed schedule.

Fusion is closer than it was—but still not here. The race is real, the stakes are huge, and the next two years in Colorado will tell us whether Marvel’s laser bet can move from lab light to city lights.