SAINT-PAUL-LEZ
DURANCE (FRANCE) — In a landmark achievement for fusion energy ITER, to
which India is responsible for the delivery of cryostat, cooling water system
and cryogenic system, has completed all components for the world’s largest, most
powerful pulsed superconducting electromagnet system.
ITER is an international collaboration of more than 30
countries to demonstrate the viability of fusion, the power of the sun and
stars, as an abundant, safe, carbon-free energy source for the planet. The
final component was the sixth module of the Central Solenoid, built and tested
in the US.
When it is assembled at the ITER site in Southern France,
the Central Solenoid will be the system’s most powerful magnet, strong enough
to lift an aircraft carrier, it was announced on Wednesday.
The Central Solenoid will work in tandem with six
ring-shaped poloidal field (PF) magnets, built and delivered by Russia, Europe,
and China.
The fully assembled pulsed magnet system will weigh nearly
3,000 tons. It will function as the electromagnetic heart of ITER’s doughnut-shaped
reactor, called a Tokamak. How does this pulsed superconducting electromagnet
system work? Step I. A few grams of hydrogen fuel, deuterium and tritium gas
are injected into ITER’s gigantic Tokamak chamber. Step II. The pulsed magnet
system sends an electrical current to ionise the hydrogen gas, creating a
plasma, a cloud of charged particles. Step III. The magnets create an
“invisible cage” that confines and shapes the ionised plasma. Step IV. External
heating systems raise the plasma temperature to 150 million degrees Celsius, 10
times hotter than the core of the sun. And, Step V. At this temperature, the
atomic nuclei of plasma particles combine and fuse, releasing massive heat
energy.
At full operation, ITER is expected to produce 500 megawatts
of fusion power from only 50 megawatts of input heating power, a tenfold gain.
At this level of efficiency, the fusion reaction largely self-heats, becoming a
“burning plasma”. By integrating all the systems needed for fusion at
industrial scale, ITER is serving as a massive, complex research laboratory for
its 30-plus member countries, providing the knowledge and data needed to
optimise commercial fusion power.
ITER’s geopolitical achievement is also remarkable: the
sustained collaboration of ITER’s seven members -- China, Europe, India, Japan,
Korea, Russia, and the US. Thousands of scientists and engineers have
contributed components from hundreds of factories on three continents to build
a single machine.
Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General, says, “What makes
ITER unique is not only its technical complexity but the framework of
international cooperation that has sustained it through changing political
landscapes.” “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.”
In 2024, ITER reached 100 per cent of its construction
targets. 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. The past
five years have witnessed a surge in private sector investment in fusion energy
R and D. In November 2023, the ITER Council recognised the value and
opportunity represented by this trend. They encouraged the ITER Organisation
and its domestic agencies to actively engage with the private sector, to
transfer ITER’s accumulated knowledge to accelerate progress towards making
fusion a reality.
In 2024, ITER launched a private sector fusion engagement
project, with multiple channels for sharing knowledge, documentation, data, and
expertise, as well as collaboration on R and D. This tech transfer initiative
includes sharing information on ITER’s global fusion supply chain, another way
to return value to member governments and their companies. In April 2025, ITER
hosted a public-private workshop to collaborate on the best technological
innovation to solve fusion’s remaining challenges.
Under the ITER Agreement, members contribute most of the
cost of building ITER in the form of building and supplying components. This
arrangement means that financing from each member goes primarily to their own
companies to manufacture ITER’s challenging technology. In doing so, these
companies also drive innovation and gain expertise, creating a global fusion
supply chain. Europe, as the host member, contributes 45 per cent of the cost
of the ITER Tokamak and its support systems. China, India, Japan, Korea,
Russia, and the US each contribute nine per cent, but all members get access to
100 per cent of the intellectual property.
