China’s First High-Temperature Superconducting Fusion Reactor Achieves Initial Plasma Discharge

China has completed the construction and put into operation its commercial 'artificial sun,' marking a significant breakthrough in global fusion technology.

Next-Generation Tokamak

On June 19, fusion energy company Energy Singularity announced that the world's first full high-temperature superconducting tokamak device had achieved its first plasma. This allowed China to gain a first-mover advantage in the field of high-temperature superconducting magnetic confinement fusion.

Known as Honghuang 70 (HH70), the device is located in the eastern region of Shanghai. Its design began in March 2022, while the overall installation was completed by the end of February 2024. According to Energy Singularity CEO Yang Zhao, HH70 sets the fastest record for the research and construction of superconducting tokamak devices in the world.

Energy Singularity designed HH70 to become smaller and cheaper as opposed to conventionally large machines which are expensive to build. It uses a magnetic system composed of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) material called Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO).

The company also claims that REBCO enables it to make its tokamaks at only 2% of the volume of conventional tokamaks. The reduced size and price of the tokamak are ideal for making the technology commercially available, with the only challenge being the net output from the reaction.

The performance of fusion reactors is measured using the Q value, which refers to the ratio of the energy generated by the reaction to the input energy needed to maintain the reaction. The highest Q value currently obtained from a tokamak is 1.53.

Energy Singularity plans to create tokamaks with a Q value of 10. It claims that such a device can shorten the construction period from the original 30 years to 3-4 years.

The company also aims to build a next-generation tokamak by 2027, which will serve as a stationary model with a strong magnetic field. Set to establish a demonstration power plant by 2030; this project is expected to lay the foundation for commercializing fusion energy.

What Is a Tokamak?

Utilization of wind and solar power has risen in recent years as the world tries to move away from fossil fuels. However, these energy sources have intermittency issues and cannot be controlled at will, making us continue our dependence on fossil fuels.

So far, fission-based nuclear power is the only non-carbon-emitting energy source that can be controlled. However, this technology also faces opposition due to operational safety concerns and the issue of waste fuel generation. This is where nuclear fusion can be beneficial.

Nuclear fusion reactors work under extremely high temperatures, which allows hydrogen atoms to fuse and become helium atoms. This process releases large amounts of energy as a byproduct. This type of reaction takes place in the Sun, and experts have been trying to replicate it by producing a plasma soup of positively charged hydrogen ions and electrons.

To help contain the plasma, scientists use a donut-shaped vessel called tokamak so the temperature can be increased to replicate the conditions of the Sun. Also known as "artificial suns," this device creates magnetic fields which help contain the particles within the plasma.