World’s Largest Nuclear Fusion Project Advances With Magnet Assembly, Backed By Key Indian Infrastructure

Scientists working on the world’s largest nuclear fusion project have achieved a major milestone by completing construction of the main magnet system, with India playing a crucial role in developing this vital infrastructure, PTI reported.

The central solenoid, newly completed magnet of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is crucial for initiating and maintaining the fusion process (the energy mechanism driving the sun and stars).

Standing 18 metres tall, weighing nearly 1,000 tonnes, and capable of generating a magnetic field of 13 teslas, it serves as the "electromagnetic heart" of the Tokamak reactor.

This powerful magnet creates an "invisible cage" to confine superheated plasma, essential for sustaining fusion reactions that is expected to produce up to 500 megawatts of power from just 50 megawatts of input—a tenfold energy gain.

Explaining the function of the central solenoid, Pietro Barabaschi, ITER's director general, said, "It is like the bottle in a bottle of wine: of course the wine is maybe more important than the bottle, but you need the bottle in order to put the wine inside,”, reported the Business Standard.

The cryostat, which serves as the cooling and containment system for the reactor, was manufactured by the Indian company Larsen & Toubro under the guidance of the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), a key Indian partner in the ITER initiative.

In addition to the cryostat, India has also provided key subsystems such as radio frequency heating components, diagnostics, and cooling systems.

India is one of the seven member entities of the ITER collaboration, alongside the European Union, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea, working together to develop a sustainable and safe energy source through nuclear fusion.

Europe, the project's host, is paying for 45 per cent of the building costs. Each of the other six members—China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, India, and the US—contributes roughly 9 per cent. However, all members will have complete access to the patents and research findings.

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