The JT-60SA, the world’s largest and most advanced tokamak device, was inaugurated on December 1, 2023, through a collaborative effort between the European Union and Japan. This experimental nuclear fusion reactor seeks to explore the viability of fusion as a secure, large-scale, and carbon-free energy source by maintaining a plasma at temperatures surpassing 200 million degrees Celsius. Serving as a precursor to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France, anticipated to achieve net energy gain from fusion by 2035, the JT-60SA mimics the Sun’s energy production through the fusion of atomic nuclei. Fusion holds promise as a clean, abundant, and reliable power source, potentially becoming a pivotal element in the global energy landscape in the latter half of this century.
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About the Author: Joe Trinder
Ngāti awa journalist and film maker based in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.