ITER installs sixth tokamak module ahead of schedule

The ITER nuclear fusion project has reached a significant construction milestone by installing its sixth tokamak sector module at the facility in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France. This installation brings the project nearly six months ahead of its current schedule and completes two-thirds of the reactor’s core.

The vacuum vessel, which serves as the heart of the tokamak, is a 5,200-tonne stainless-steel torus composed of nine individual sectors. The newly installed module is a 40-degree wedge weighing approximately 1,100 tonnes, including its internal vacuum vessel sector, thermal shielding, and superconducting magnetic coils.

Manufacturing and assembly involve a complex international supply chain. European partners, including Fusion for Energy (F4E), have collaborated with companies such as Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse Electric Italy, and Walter Tosto to produce the sectors. While the project has faced previous challenges regarding escalating costs, which have exceeded €22 billion, the current assembly phase is progressing with increasing speed and precision.