MADISON – After an extensive, national, two-year search, Realta Fusion, a Madison-based fusion energy startup founded in 2022, said Wednesday it will locate its corporate headquarters and next-generation research facility at OM Station, site of the former Oscar Mayer plant on Madison’s north side.
Realta will convert more than 200,000 square feet of vacant space into a state-of-the-art facility housing offices, manufacturing, and research and development. The company expects to create more than 600 technical and non-technical jobs at the facility.
The company’s decision is the latest major win for the growing fusion energy hub in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.
“It was critical for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region to have one of the industry’s leading companies choose to remain here to build its next-generation equipment,” said Kathleen Gallagher, executive director of 5 Lakes Institute, which organizes the Great Lakes Fusion Energy Alliance. “Many other states were wooing Realta, but Gov. Tony Evers, Wisconsin legislators and an army of state and local officials had the vision and commitment to our fusion energy future to achieve this win.”
Realta chose the site from among numerous other locations throughout the U.S. The announcement comes roughly a month after the Madison Common Council unanimously approved a $2.8 million Jobs TIF loan for the company.
“This property has long been synonymous with innovation and prosperity. In 1916, before Oscar Mayer, it was the site of a cooperative, a ‘brave experiment’ to disrupt an industry many thought would never change,” said Zach Brandon, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. “This investment gives new life to that vision. Realta will no doubt have a transformative impact on Wisconsin’s economy and the global energy industry.”
Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region are well-positioned to play an outsized role in the global fusion energy industry, which experts estimate will be a $1 trillion market by 2050. UW–Madison is one of the top fusion energy research universities in the country and has already given rise to three fusion companies — Realta, SHINE Technologies and Type One Energy. Additionally, Wisconsin and the region have a high concentration of advanced precision manufacturing companies that will play a major role in this emerging industry, particularly given the proximity of Realta and other fusion companies.
Realta, one of what F42 Fusion Observatory counts as 42 total U.S. fusion companies, is developing compact, scalable, modular energy systems based on the magnetic mirror fusion concept. It was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers in 2026 and in June announced a world-first achievement when it demonstrated direct energy conversion from its WHAM fusion device.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) in February awarded a $778,000 Ignite Wisconsin grant to the Wisconsin Fusion Energy Coalition to advance fusion energy infrastructure and business incubation in the state. The coalition is led by 5 Lakes Institute and its partners: Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce; UW–Madison College of Engineering; UW–Whitewater Fiscal and Economic Research Center (FERC); Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF); and Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI). It is supported by nearly 20 other members. 5 Lakes Institute also leads the Great Lakes Fusion Energy Alliance, which is working with the Wisconsin Fusion Energy Coalition to grow the region’s fusion energy ecosystem.
