ITER is aiming demonstrate the commercial viability of fusion. Once complete, it will use around 300MW of electrical power to cause magnetically confined hydrogen plasma to absorb 50MW of thermal power, creating 500MW of heat from fusion. First conceived in 1985, the multibillion-dollar project is funded and run its seven member parties: China, the EU, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the US.
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The tokamak reactor’s Central Solenoid will be the system’s most powerful magnet, claimed to be strong enough to lift an aircraft carrier. The sixth and final piece of the Central Solenoid has now been built and tested by the US and is ready for assembly on site at ITER in southern France.
The Central Solenoid will work in tandem with six ring-shaped Poloidal Field (PF) magnets, built and delivered by Russia, Europe, and China. Fully assembled, the pulsed magnet system will weigh nearly 3,000 tons and form the heart of ITER’s tokamak, confining superheated hydrogen plasma that will reach 150 million degrees Celsius. According to ITER, the engineering megaproject involves thousands of scientists and engineers contributing components from hundreds of factories across three continents, all to build a single machine.
“What makes ITER unique is not only its technical complexity but the framework of international cooperation that has sustained it through changing political landscapes,” said Pietro Barabaschi, ITER director-general.
“This achievement proves that when humanity faces existential challenges like climate change and energy security, we can overcome national differences to advance solutions. The ITER project is the embodiment of hope. With ITER, we show that a sustainable energy future and a peaceful path forward are possible.”
With most of the major components delivered, the ITER tokamak is now in assembly phase. In April 2025, the first vacuum vessel sector module was inserted into the tokamak pit, about three weeks ahead of schedule. Last month also saw ITER hosting a public-private workshop to foster more collaboration with the private sector, using ITER’s accumulated knowledge to accelerate progress toward making fusion a reality.
Fusion inches closer as ITER completes magnet system
The problem with a Tokamak shape for the fusion plasma, is that the magnetic field from the central solenoid reduces from the centre outwards, leading...