The goal is to begin generating plasma, an essential component of nuclear fusion reactors, by 2025.
ITER (Latin for “Way”) is a partnership of 35 countries, all hoping to share in the scientific rewards.
“This gives us confidence as we face the remaining 50 percent,” Dr. Bernard Bigot of ITER told the journal Live Science.
Unlike traditional nuclear reactors, which generate power by splitting larger atoms into smaller ones, the ITER fusion reactor will combine hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium).
There are other fusion reactors in operation, but ITER is the largest, with ten times more plasma capacity than any other reactor.
Wendelstein 7-X, a fusion reactor in Germany, recently went online for the first time, and may be able to generate self-sustaining plasma.
“With ITER and fusion energy, we have a chance to leave a powerful and positive legacy for future generations,” Bigot said. »