Boost for fusion as ST40 achieves first plasma following upgrade

In March, 2022 the company demonstrated a world-first by reaching a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius in the ST40 tokamak, which is the threshold required for commercial fusion energy and the highest temperature achieved in a privately funded spherical tokamak.

Tokamak Energy’s ST40 returned to service after an upgrade programme that included installing a new Thomson scattering high-powered laser system to give greater insights into plasma behaviour by measuring temperature and density at several points in the plasma.

The new experiments, which Tokamak Energy said can reach plasma temperatures over six times hotter than the core of the sun, relate to future features that will be incorporated in the company’s recently announced ST80-HTS, the world’s first high field spherical tokamak using high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, and the fusion pilot plant, ST-E1.

In a statement, Chris Kelsall, Tokamak Energy CEO, said: “We’re in a race against time to phase out fossil fuels and make fusion energy a globally available solution for the world’s energy needs.