9 February 2022

Nuclear fusion reactor smashes energy record

Researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion experiment in the UK have doubled the record for the amount of energy made from atomic fusion, the process that powers the Sun and all stars.

The prospect of harnessing fusion power has moved a step closer to reality, after scientists recently set a new record for the amount of energy released in a sustained fusion reaction.

Researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET), a fusion experiment in Oxfordshire, generated 59 megajoules of heat – equivalent to about 14 kg of TNT – during a five-second burst of fusion, more than doubling the previous record of 21.7 megajoules set in 1997 by the same facility.

Dr. Patrik Carlsson, Co-Director Big Science Sweden and Industrial Liaison Officer for ITER

Patrik Carlsson, Co-Director Big Science Sweden, followed the news with interest.

“We’re now seeing exciting advances in fusion energy,” he says. “The recent record-breaking experiment in the UK clearly demonstrates the potential. It also shows the importance of prioritising and investing in this exciting energy source, which could play a vital role in attaining sustainable energy in the future.”

The JET tokamak reactor is a test bed for the world’s largest fusion experiment — ITER, currently under construction in France – and the recent results increase expectations regarding ITER.

Big Science Sweden is monitoring the investments, to ensure that Swedish companies can be involved in this pioneering technological development.