China Achieves New Fusion Milestone with Record-Breaking Thousand-Second Run

China has achieved a major milestone in the pursuit of practical fusion energy. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor in Hefei set a new record by sustaining a fusion reaction for 1,066 seconds. This breakthrough demonstrates significant progress toward fusion as a clean, virtually limitless power source.

Efforts to harness hydrogen fusion, the force behind hydrogen bombs, have been ongoing for decades, driven by scientific curiosity, technical challenges, and Cold War rivalries. Today, with over $7.1 billion in private investment, the goal of achieving commercial fusion energy remains crucial. A single gram of deuterium-tritium fuel can release energy equivalent to 11 tonnes of coal, offering the promise of nearly infinite clean energy.

While fusing hydrogen atoms has been possible in labs for years, practical fusion energy requires extreme conditions: temperatures of 100–150 million °C, pressures of five to 10 atmospheres, and stable plasma for extended durations. Achieving long-term stability is critical for future fusion plants.

“A device must operate stably and efficiently for thousands of seconds to enable self-sustaining plasma circulation, essential for continuous power generation,” noted Song Yuntao, director of the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

EAST Sets New Fusion Record with Upgraded Power and Stability

EAST’s new record builds on its previous achievement of sustaining a 403-second reaction in 2023. This improvement was made possible by upgrades to the experimental system, which doubled the power output while maintaining stability.

Importantly, EAST serves as a stepping stone rather than an endpoint. China is one of seven members of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program, which is constructing the world’s largest tokamak fusion reactor in southern France. Expected to begin operations around 2035, ITER will incorporate findings from EAST as part of China’s nine-percent contribution to the project’s construction and operation.

Read Original Article: New Atlas

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