France’s International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) operation has been delayed by 15 years, according to CEO Pietro Barabaschi.
The first test of the ITER fusion reactor is now scheduled to reach full magnetic power in 2036 – a three-year delay from the 2016 baseline – while the start of the deuterium and tritium phase of operation in 2039 is four years behind.
The announcement means that the hope of producing commercial fusion from ITER is dashed for now and will take years to offer a viable solution to the climate crisis.
Barabaschi also suggested that the world should not wait for nuclear fusion energy to arrive as a solution to the problems it faces.
“Fusion cannot arrive in time to solve the problems facing our planet today, and investment in other technologies, known and unknown, is absolutely necessary,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Delays to the ITER core project explained
According to Barabaschi, the baseline proposed in 2016 has not been feasible for several years. “Since October 2020, it has been made clear publicly and to our stakeholders that the first plasma in 2025 is no longer achievable.”
He also said that the Covid-19 pandemic played a big role in the deadline being missed, as it closed some factories supplying ITER components, reduced the associated workforce and caused other impacts such as backlogs in sea transport, problems in performing quality control.
In addition, the production of some of the first-of-its-kind parts for ITER has also proven to be more difficult than previously thought and has led to delays.
The “First Plasma” planned for 2025 was designed as a short low-energy machine test (100 KiloAmperes), using only hydrogen, immediately followed by assembly and operation in four consecutive stages, reaching full plasma current (15 MegaAmperes, 150x higher current than in the first baseline plasma 2016) later in 2033.
“We could have kept the Baseline 2016 plan, but that would have been illogical — based on the availability of other key components to build a more complete machine,” the official said, according to the press release.
New baseline and project goals
According to ITER officials, the new baseline calls for the start of Research Operations (SRO) in 2034 with a more complete machine, followed by 27 months of substantive research.
Reaching full magnetic power will be delayed by about three years from the previous baseline of 2033, now targeting 2036.
A deuterium-deuterium fusion operation is planned for 2035 around the same time as in the previous baseline. However, the start of the deuterium-tritium operation phase will be delayed by about four years, from 2035 to 2039, compared to the previous baseline plan.
Another key update is that the reactor will now use tungsten instead of beryllium for the first wall (the plasma material).
More than 30 countries are collaborating on the construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in southern France.
The ITER design also uses a tokamak approach, in which hydrogen fuel is injected into a torus or donut-shaped vacuum chamber and heated to create plasma and replicate conditions on the Sun. At extremely high temperatures of 150 million degrees, the fusion reaction begins to take place.
The ITER tokamak design uses niobium-tin and niobium-titanium as the material for its magnets. The coils are fed with electricity and then cooled to temperatures four degrees above absolute zero (-269 degrees Celsius) to make them superconductive.
ABOUT THE EDITORIAL
Abhishek Bhardwaj Abhishek brings rich experience in covering different stories in different beats. Having contributed to reputed agencies and Indian media such as ANI and NDTV, he has a keen interest in technology, business and defense reporting.