France Sets World Record for Sustained Plasma in Nuclear Fusion Experiment

The WEST Tokamak reactor achieved a 22-minute plasma run, surpassing China's previous record and advancing global fusion energy research.

The WEST Tokamak reactor in France maintained hydrogen plasma for 1,337 seconds, a 25% improvement over China's prior 1,066-second record.
The plasma reached a temperature of 50 million degrees Celsius, demonstrating progress in stabilizing plasma for extended durations.
This milestone is critical for future reactors like ITER, which aim to sustain fusion reactions for several minutes or longer to achieve practical energy output.
The WEST team plans to extend plasma durations to several hours and increase temperatures in upcoming experiments to replicate fusion conditions closer to operational goals.
Despite advancements, large-scale fusion energy faces challenges in infrastructure, technology, and economic feasibility, making its contribution to net-zero carbon goals by 2050 uncertain.