{"id":626642,"date":"2024-07-04T17:58:16","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T14:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/worlds-largest-fusion-reactor-hit-by-more-delays-and-spiralling-costs\/"},"modified":"2024-07-04T17:58:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T14:58:16","slug":"worlds-largest-fusion-reactor-hit-by-more-delays-and-spiralling-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/worlds-largest-fusion-reactor-hit-by-more-delays-and-spiralling-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"#World\u2019s largest fusion reactor hit by more delays and spiralling costs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a414835b9ca8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a414835b9ca8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/worlds-largest-fusion-reactor-hit-by-more-delays-and-spiralling-costs\/#ITER_risks_falling_behind\" >ITER risks falling behind\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ITER \u2014 which is set to become the world\u2019s biggest fusion reactor, and one of history\u2019s most expensive <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> experiments \u2014 has reached a key milestone on its mission to create a mini Sun on Earth. But despite the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arent progress, the megaproject has also been hit by yet more delays and surging costs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nineteen giant magnetic coils \u2014 each measuring 17 metres tall and weighing 360 tonnes \u2014 have finally been delivered to southern France, where ITER is being constructed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The magnets will form a cage around a donut-shaped chamber called a tokamak. Here they will create a magnetic field that confines super hot plasma, keeping it stable for long enough for a fusion reaction to occur. The magnets, which are super-cooled to \u2013269\u00b0C, also keep the whole machine from melting under the extreme temperatures of the plasma, which can reach up to 10 times hotter than the Sun\u2019s core.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1408202 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"An image of the inside of ITER tokamak reactor\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/07\/ITER-magnet.jpeg\"\/><figcaption>The interior of the tokamak under construction. One of the huge D-shaped magnets can be see on the left hand side of the image. Credit: ITER<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1408202 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/07\/ITER-magnet.jpeg\" alt=\"An image of the inside of ITER tokamak reactor\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe delivery of these magnets is a momentous occasion that will allow ITER to reach its objectives,\u201d said the project\u2019s director <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, Pietro Barabaschi, during a press conference yesterday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\">\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">TNW Conference 2025 &#8211; Back to NDSM on June 19-20, 2025 &#8211; Save the date!<\/p>\n<p>As we wrapped up our incredible 2024 edition, we&#8217;re pleased to announce our return to Amsterdam NDSM in 2025. Registration now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet, Barabaschi also announced that the megaproject will only switch on in 2034, and start producing energy in 2039. That\u2019s almost a decade later than originally planned, and a four-year delay from the most recent timeline, announced in 2016.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s more, the price tag, already estimated at \u20ac20bn, will rise by \u20ac5bn. The extra time and money will allow ITER to commission a machine capable of \u201cfull magnetic energy and current\u201d rather than a \u201crelatively \u2018naked\u2019 machine\u201d \u2014 which would be the case if the project stuck to its 2016 target, said Barabaschi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barabaschi has largely blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the most recent delay. However, manufacturing issues, such as the discovery of<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iter.org\/newsline\/-\/3830\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cracks in the water pipes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that cool the thermal shields, have also slowed progress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the reality is that harnessing fusion energy is, simply put, really bloody difficult. Even harder perhaps than scientists first predicted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ITER_risks_falling_behind\"><\/span><strong>ITER risks falling behind\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ITER was first conceived in 1985 and launched in 2006 by a coalition of 35 countries and regions including the EU, United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Back then, it had a budget of \u20ac5bn, with the EU providing the bulk of the funding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reactor was designed to be an experiment, not a commercially viable reactor. Its overall aim is to produce 500 MW of fusion power for extended periods, proving that it\u2019s possible to sustain fusion reactions for a long enough period to produce electricity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But with dozens of private companies now developing their own commercial fusion machines, there\u2019s a risk that ITER may become obsolete by the time it eventually powers up. Boosted by a surge of private capital and unconstrained by geopolitics, startups like Tokamak Energy, First Light Fusion, Marvel Fusion and Proxima Fusion may leapfrog to the finish line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ultimate goal for these companies, most of which aim to have a reactor ready by the early 2030s, is to create fusion reactions that burn hot enough and last long enough to produce a steady flow of electricity. That\u2019s something that has never been done before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, with the promise of virtually limitless, clean, reliable energy, taking a crack at building a little star on Earth is probably worth the effort \u2014 even if we have to wait around for a while to see the efforts bear fruit.<\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/worlds-largest-fusion-reactor-hit-by-more-delays-and-spiralling-costs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ITER \u2014 which is set to become the world\u2019s biggest fusion reactor, and one of history\u2019s most expensive science experiments \u2014 has reached a key milestone on its mission to create a mini Sun on Earth. But despite the apparent progress, the megaproject has also been hit by yet more delays and surging costs.\u00a0\u00a0 Nineteen&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":626643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2024%2F07%2Ffusion-energy-iter-delay.jpg&signature=d1c3daf38c6a50c04cc03e3b9b7125d8","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-626642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}