A huge Japanese-European experimental nuclear fusion project, “Energy from the Stars,” that has raised many hopes, was inaugurated on Friday in Japan at a partner site, complementing the Iter program in France that has faced setbacks and delays.
Installed at the Naka Fusion Institute, about a hundred kilometers northeast of Tokyo, the JT-60SA is currently the world’s largest operational “tokamak” (experimental nuclear fusion reactor) awaiting completion.
AFP
“Today is a great day in the history of the merger (…). With this tokamak, Japan and Europe are positioning themselves as world leaders in magnetic confinement fusion research, welcomed European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson during a ceremony broadcast online in Naka.
As a result of the agreements signed between Japan and the European Union in 2007, the construction of this 15.5 meter high and 13.5 meter high tokamak lasted from 2013 to 2020. And on October 23, it succeeded for the first time in producing plasma, a gas with very low density, which is essential for nuclear fusion.
AFP
The JT-60SA is intended to answer key physics questions to better prepare Iter operations and, in the longer term, commercial applications of nuclear fusion.
The fusion of light atomic nuclei is the energetic process that occurs in stars like our sun.
It is considered a promising future energy source because it does not produce greenhouse gases, produces less radioactive waste than current nuclear power plants and, unlike the latter, would be safe, according to scientists.
However, fusion is only possible by heating plasma to extremely high temperatures (more than a hundred million degrees Celsius). To prevent this material from cooling and remaining stable, it must be isolated, for example with mega magnets in the case of JT-60SA and Iter.
In order for this energy source to be usable, the most important thing is to ensure that the energy generated exceeds the energy used for the reaction.
Using a different plasma confinement technology and an ultra-powerful laser, the United States became the first to achieve a net energy gain from nuclear fusion a year ago and repeated the feat last summer with performance improvements.
Encouraged by these successes, the American government now hopes to begin commercial use of nuclear fusion within the next decade.
Setbacks are increasing at the Iter site, leading to delays and additional costs, particularly due to defective essential parts. Originally planned for 2025, the first plasma production could be postponed for several years.