A Japanese startup said it plans to build the world’s first nuclear fusion reactor that can produce power for an unlimited amount of time, aiming to launch in 2034 and begin commercial operations in the decade after.

Helical Fusion is aiming to build a “pilot reactor” that will have a generation capacity of 50-100 megawatts, its CEO told Reuters. Japan has invested 400 billion yen, or $2.8 billion, into research at the National Institute for Fusion Science, and the company’s CEO, Takaya Taguchi, said it plans to leverage the funds to commercialize fusion.

“If successful, Japan, an energy importer, could produce its own energy and even export it, greatly enhancing Japan’s energy security,” Taguchi said. 

While a number of countries had attempted to harness the power of fusion, a clean source of power, there hasn’t been a successful attempt to produce a commercially viable reactor. Scientists have faced hurdles trying to generate more energy from the reaction than the energy that’s put into heating the fuel. 

Nuclear fusion differs from fission, which is used in current commercial reactors, in that it involves uniting rather than splitting atoms to produce energy.

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Japan’s NIFS has one of the largest fusion labs, and it has been able to reach 100 million degrees Celsius and plasma durations for nearly an hour. 

However, challenges remain, according to Taguchi. The company needs to raise 1 trillion yen to build the pilot reactor, as well as to develop the technology and regulations for the reactor.