Europe and Japan have taken an important step in the development of fusion energy by completing JT-60SA, the most powerful tokamak in the world before the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) begins operation, Fusion for Energy (F4E), the organisation administering Europe’s contribution to Iter said.

JT-60SA will sustain plasmas of up to 200 million Celsius for up to 100 seconds, offering insight into how to keep the plasma hot and stable. It will initially be used as a proving ground for Iter, as the two devices are highly complementary in many areas, including plasma parameters, superconducting magnet and cryoplant design, and heating and current drive systems.

Enrico Dipietro, F4E’s pogramme manager for JT-60SA said the JT-60SA programme includes a number of specific areas designed to provide important contributions to the optimisation of Iter operation.