Madison — A Madison-born fusion startup announced plans Wednesday to transform the former Oscar Mayer campus at OM Station into its corporate headquarters and a research-and-development facility, promising major local investment and new jobs.
Realta Fusion, which spun out of University of Wisconsin–Madison research in 2022 and currently employs about 50 people in Madison, said it expects to grow to more than 600 employees as it scales up work on the magnetic mirror fusion design developed on campus.
What residents can expect
The company plans to make approximately $67 million in improvements to the portion of the OM Station site it will occupy and projects equipment costs topping $500 million. Realta said it aims to break ground on its R&D facility before the end of the year, where it will build a prototype magnetic mirror fusion device based on UW–Madison’s WHAM (Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror) machine.
- Jobs: Growth from roughly 50 current employees to more than 600 over time.
- Investment: $67 million in site improvements and $500+ million in equipment.
- Incentives: Up to $55 million in public incentives to support the project.
Public support and incentives
To support Realta’s move to OM Station, the company reported it secured up to $55 million in incentives from state and local sources. According to the company’s presentation to the city of Madison, those incentives include:
| Type | Estimated Value |
|---|---|
| Sales and use tax exemptions | $37.5 million |
| State tax credits | Up to $15 million |
| City tax increment financing (TIF) | $2.8 million |
Sam Rikkers, chief operating officer of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, emphasized the state’s interest in advancing clean-energy innovation.
“We know that innovation is the key to our future, and we know that clean energy holds countless opportunities for innovation,” said Sam Rikkers.
Historical site, modern purpose
The OM Station site, home to Oscar Mayer for nearly a century until the plant closed in 2017, was purchased with plans to become a mixed-use development. Realta CEO Kieran Furlong told local officials that after a two-year national search, the company selected OM Station because of its large, ready-to-use industrial and office space that can be put to work immediately.
Realta’s technology—magnetic mirror fusion—remains experimental and is years away from commercial deployment. The company has given a target of the early to mid-2030s for initial commercial activities. For Madison residents, the immediate changes will be visible in construction activity at OM Station, new local hiring in engineering and manufacturing roles, and increased collaboration with UW–Madison research partners.
City and state officials will continue to review the incentive package and the company’s development plan as the project moves toward its scheduled ground-breaking later this year.
