Fusion for Energy

The success of ITER lies on the good collaboration between the seven Parties striving to deliver fusion energy. Building a stronger and deeper partnership with all countries has been one of the key priorities set by Johannes Schwemmer, F4E Director, and during his recent visit to China he succeeded in establishing closer ties. Meetings with senior representatives from China’s ITER Domestic Agency, in order to discuss the overall progress of the project, combined with visits to key manufacturing facilities, have proven extremely informative and productive for both parties.

One of the highlights of the visit has been the ceremony marking the completion of the first ITER Poloidal Field (PF) coil feeder manufactured in China. Representatives from China’s authorities, ITER China, ITER Organization, F4E, and industrial partners, were invited to the Institute of Plasma Physics of China’s Academy of Sciences (ASIIP) to celebrate this impressive technical achievement. To honour the presence of Europe at the ceremony, and underline the value of international collaboration, the Director of F4E was asked to cut the ribbon marking the successful fabrication of the component. Media were also present to capture this important moment and Johannes Schwemmer took the opportunity to congratulate ITER China. “It’s a very difficult component with a lot of new technologies like high-temperature superconductors…so China is showing that it is the strongest supporter for ITER” he said.

Magnet feeders perform two vital tasks for the operation of the ITER Tokamak: they control the cryogenic liquids which are needed to cool down the temperature of the magnets, and they connect the magnets to their power supplies. In total, 31 superconducting feeders will relay electrical power and cryogens through the warm-cold barrier to the ITER magnets.

To watch extracts from the ceremony click to the links from CCTV and CNTV