ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)
Cadarache, France [INTERNATIONAL] · Construction started 2007; First Plasma expected 2025; Deuterium-Tritium operations expected 2035 · Estimated €20 billion (total project cost, equivalent to approx. £17 billion at current exchange rates, subject to change)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchITER is a critical step towards demonstrating the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power on a commercial scale. - The project's international collaboration model is unprecedented in scientific research, presenting significant logistical and coordination challenges. - The development of the Super-X divertor in projects like MAST-U is directly informing ITER's approach to plasma exhaust management. - The sheer scale and complexity of ITER push the boundaries of engineering and materials science.
Key engineering challenges
Designing and assembling the world's largest and most complex tokamak, involving millions of components from multiple international partners. - Managing extreme temperatures (150 million °C plasma) and powerful magnetic fields required for fusion reactions. - Developing and integrating advanced superconducting magnets, vacuum vessels, and heating systems. - Handling the intense heat and particle exhaust from the plasma, particularly in the divertor region, to prevent damage to components. - Ensuring the structural integrity and seismic resistance of the massive facility, located in a seismic zone.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- ITER Organization (a collaboration of 35 nations: EU, China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, USA)
- Lead contractor
- Various, with Fusion for Energy (F4E) managing the European contribution.
- Lead designers
- ITER Organization, with contributions from member countries.
- Project type
- new build
- Scale
- Largest tokamak device ever built; 840 m³ plasma volume; 150 million °C plasma temperature; 500 MW fusion power output (for 400 seconds); 23,000 tonnes total weight of the tokamak; 10 million components.
- Disciplines
- Nuclear engineering; mechanical; electrical; civil; structural; cryogenics; vacuum engineering; control systems; materials science; plasma physics
- Standards & frameworks
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety standards; French nuclear safety regulations; relevant international engineering standards.
Sources: ITER: Official Website (https://www.iter.org/) - Wikipedia: ITER (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER) - Fusion for Energy: ITER (https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/iter/) - Physics World: First results from UK tokamak offers a STEP towards commercial fusion (https://physicsworld.com/a/first-results-from-uk-tokamak-offers-a-step-towards-commercial-fusion/)