Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France) April 30 (NationPress) In a significant milestone for fusion energy, ITER, for which India is responsible for providing the cryostat, cooling water system, and cryogenic system, has successfully completed all components of the world’s largest and most powerful pulsed superconducting electromagnet system.

ITER represents an international collaboration involving over 30 nations aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of fusion energy, harnessing the power of the sun and stars as a sustainable, safe, and carbon-free energy source for our planet. The final component was the sixth module of the Central Solenoid, constructed and tested in the United States.

Once assembled at the ITER facility in Southern France, the Central Solenoid will become the most potent magnet in the system, capable of lifting an aircraft carrier, as announced on Wednesday.

This magnet will operate alongside six ring-shaped poloidal field (PF) magnets, contributed by Russia, Europe, and China.

The entire pulsed magnet system will have an impressive weight of nearly 3,000 tons and will act as the electromagnetic core of ITER’s doughnut-shaped reactor, known as a Tokamak. So, how does this pulsed superconducting electromagnet system function? Step I: A small amount of hydrogen fuel, specifically deuterium and tritium gas, is injected into ITER’s massive Tokamak chamber. Step II: The pulsed magnet system initiates an electrical current to ionize the hydrogen gas, forming plasma, a cloud of charged particles. Step III: The magnets generate an “invisible cage” that confines and shapes the ionized plasma. Step IV: External heating systems elevate the plasma temperature to 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times hotter than the sun’s core. Lastly, Step V: At this extreme temperature, the atomic nuclei of plasma particles merge and fuse, releasing vast amounts of heat energy.

At its peak performance, ITER is anticipated to generate 500 megawatts of fusion power from just 50 megawatts of input heating power, achieving a tenfold increase in efficiency. At this operational level, the fusion reaction primarily self-heats, transitioning into a “burning plasma.” By integrating all necessary systems for industrial-scale fusion, ITER serves as a vast, intricate research laboratory for its 30+ member countries, furnishing the knowledge and data essential to optimize commercial fusion power.

The geopolitical aspect of ITER’s accomplishment is equally impressive: the sustained partnership of its seven members—China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the US. Thousands of scientists and engineers have contributed components from hundreds of factories across three continents to construct a single machine.

Pietro Barabaschi, the ITER Director-General, stated, “What makes ITER unique is not only its technical complexity but the framework of international cooperation that has supported it through ever-changing political landscapes.” He added, “This achievement demonstrates that when humanity confronts existential issues like climate change and energy security, we can transcend national differences to forge solutions.” “The ITER Project embodies hope. With ITER, we demonstrate that a sustainable energy future and a peaceful path forward are achievable.”

By 2024, ITER achieved 100 percent of its construction goals. With the majority of key components delivered, the ITER Tokamak is currently in the assembly phase. In April 2025, the first vacuum vessel sector module was placed into the Tokamak Pit, approximately three weeks ahead of schedule. Over the past five years, there has been a notable increase in private sector investments in fusion energy research and development. In November 2023, the ITER Council acknowledged the value and potential this trend represents and encouraged the ITER Organization and its domestic agencies to actively collaborate with the private sector to expedite progress toward realizing fusion energy.

In 2024, ITER initiated a private sector fusion engagement project, providing multiple channels for sharing knowledge, documentation, data, and expertise, along with collaboration on research and development. This technology transfer initiative includes sharing insights on ITER’s global fusion supply chain, thus offering value back to member governments and their companies. In April 2025, ITER hosted a public-private workshop to explore the best technological innovations to address fusion’s remaining challenges.

According to the ITER Agreement, members fund the majority of ITER's construction cost by building and supplying components. This means that financing from each member is largely directed towards their own companies to manufacture ITER’s complex technology, thus fostering innovation and expertise while establishing a global fusion supply chain. Europe, as the host member, contributes 45 percent of the cost of the ITER Tokamak and its support systems, while China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the US each contribute nine percent, allowing all members access to 100 percent of the intellectual property.