A tiny star burned in China for nearly 18 minutes. Scientists at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor in Hefei have sustained a fusion reaction for 1,066 seconds — more than doubling their previous record of 403 seconds.
The achievement brings humanity closer to harnessing the same power that fuels our sun. Unlike current nuclear power plants that split atoms, fusion merges hydrogen atoms at temperatures reaching 150 million degrees Celsius — hotter than the sun's core. Just one gram of fusion fuel contains the energy equivalent of 11 tons of coal, with virtually no radioactive waste.
The EAST reactor's breakthrough came after significant upgrades that doubled its power output while maintaining stability. As Song Yuntao, director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, explained to Chinese state media: "A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is critical for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants."
This milestone isn't just a Chinese achievement — it's part of a global effort. EAST's results will contribute to ITER, an international fusion project under construction in France. This $7.1 billion collaboration between seven nations aims to demonstrate sustained fusion power generation by 2035.
The path to fusion power has been long — scientists have pursued it since World War II. While creating fusion itself is relatively simple (it was even demonstrated at the 1964 World's Fair), maintaining a stable reaction for power generation has proven enormously challenging. The reaction requires extreme temperatures, precise pressure control, and increasingly longer sustained operations.
As reported by Xinhua, China's new record marks another step toward the holy grail of energy production: limitless, clean power for humanity's future.
Previously:
• Scientists report net gain nuclear fusion reaction
