EVERETT — A Chelan County hearing examiner approved a conditional use permit on Tuesday, allowing Everett-based Helion Energy to construct what could become the world’s first fusion power plant in the town of Malaga near the Columbia River.

Helion broke ground for the facility in July. The decision this week clears the way for it to build a 100,000-square-foot “fusion generation building,” a 55,000-square-foot substation and a 26,800-square-foot assembly building, according to project documents.

“This is another important step toward a future of abundant, clean, safe, affordable energy,” said David Kirtley, Helion’s co-founder and CEO, in a press release . “As a company of builders with a single-minded focus on making electricity from fusion commercially practical, we couldn’t be mor

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