ITER Stacks 5 of 6 Solenoid Modules, Advancing $20 Billion Fusion Reactor
Updated
Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 19
ITER Stacks 5 of 6 Solenoid Modules, Advancing $20 Billion Fusion Reactor
1 articles · Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 19
Five of ITER’s six central solenoid modules are now stacked at the southern France site, with the final unit due before installation in the tokamak pit.
The solenoid is the reactor’s electrical core, inducing the plasma current needed to start and sustain fusion inside the tokamak.
ITER aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius with superconducting magnets cooled to about -269°C and to reach Q=10—500 megawatts of fusion power from 50 megawatts of heating.
The more than $20 billion project brings together seven partners, roughly 10 million components from 35 countries, and a schedule that now targets first plasma in 2036 and full deuterium-tritium operation in 2039.
ITER is designed not to supply grid power yet, but to show controlled fusion can work at scale and support later DEMO plants built for commercial electricity generation.
As costs surpass €22 billion, can ITER's global alliance overcome the final hurdles to deliver on its clean energy promise?
With rival fusion methods achieving ignition, is ITER's massive magnetic reactor still the best path to creating a star on Earth?
ITER Central Solenoid Milestone: Global Collaboration and Engineering Triumphs in Fusion’s Next Leap (2025–2026)
Overview
The Central Solenoid is a monumental achievement in the ITER Tokamak assembly, marking a critical step forward in the project's timeline for 2025-2026. As a fundamental component, it plays a pivotal role in confining the superheated plasma necessary for fusion reactions, which is essential for ITER's operation. Recent progress includes the successful and ahead-of-schedule insertion of the first vacuum vessel sector module into the Tokamak Pit, highlighting strong momentum in the assembly phase. These milestones demonstrate the Central Solenoid's importance and the project's steady advancement toward realizing fusion energy.