France Sets New Record by Operating Fusion Reactor for 22 Minutes

France has made a significant advancement in the pursuit of fusion energy by successfully sustaining a plasma reaction for more than 22 minutes, setting a new record. This achievement took place on February 12 at the CEA’s WEST Tokamak reactor in France.

The Promise of Fusion Energy: Unlimited Clean Power for Future Generations

The goal of harnessing commercial fusion energy has been a long-standing ambition in engineering for the past 80 years. The potential of a fusion reactor is immense, as just one gram of hydrogen isotopes can generate energy equivalent to 11 tonnes of coal. If successfully developed, such a reactor could offer humanity unlimited, clean energy for generations to come.

Given the immense promise, both government and industry have invested billions of dollars into making fusion power a reality. However, while fusion can be achieved in stars or hydrogen bombs, developing a practical reactor that produces more energy than it consumes remains an ongoing challenge.

The real challenge lies not in making atoms fuse, which is relatively easy in controlled lab conditions, but in creating the right environment for the fusion reaction to be self-sustaining, with a net positive energy output. This requires extremely high temperatures—between 100 and 150 million °C (180 and 270 million °F)—along with the right pressure and a stable high-energy plasma for at least 10 seconds.

WEST Reactor Surpasses Expectations with 22-Minute Reaction

The CEA’s WEST reactor has far surpassed that goal, reaching 1,337 seconds, or roughly 22 minutes, which improves by 25% over the 1,066 seconds China achieved in January 2025.

The aim of this test wasn’t simply to maintain the plasma reaction, but also to ensure the reactor components do not degrade or become damaged by the high-energy plasma. The CEA plans to further extend these reaction times, aiming for hours of sustained fusion at even higher temperatures.

WEST Reactor Data Informing Future Fusion Projects

While the WEST reactor is not designed to become a commercial reactor, the data gathered will inform the development of more advanced projects, such as the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) being constructed in southern France.

“WEST has reached a new technological milestone by maintaining hydrogen plasma for over twenty minutes, using 2 MW of heating power,” said Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, Director of Fundamental Research at CEA. “Experiments will continue with increased power, and this achievement positions both WEST and the French community to lead the future of ITER’s success.”

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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