China completes world's largest fusion magnet, moves closer to artificial Sun

China has completed and tested the world's largest superconducting fusion magnet, a key component for generating clean energy through nuclear fusion, the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced. The achievement marks an important step in China's strategy to produce electricity from fusion power by around 2030. The giant D-shaped structure measures 21 metres in length, 12 metres in width and weighs 582 tonnes. Researchers said the magnet has 1.3 times the volume and stores three times more energy than comparable magnets developed for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Its primary role is to generate a powerful magnetic field capable of containing plasma at temperatures around 100 million degrees Celsius. Alongside the toroidal magnet, researchers also successfully tested a high-temperature superconducting central solenoid coil, widely regarded as the heart of a fusion reactor. China says both components were developed entirely using domestic materials and manufacturing capabilities. The six-year research programme has produced 47 patents and established 25 industry standards. The development follows a record set earlier this year by the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, which sustained plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for 1,066 seconds. China has outlined a three-stage roadmap targeting the completion of the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak by the end of 2027 and first fusion-based electricity generation around 2030.