WEST Tokamak Breaks World Record For Plasma Stability

French reactor passes 22-minute mark, moves closer to clean, unlimited energy: major step for ITER and a more sustainable future.

Stable plasma at WEST tokamak has achieved a new world record by sustaining nuclear fusion for more than 22 minutes, a significant step towards commercial fusion reactors that provide a clean and virtually unlimited source of energy.

The dream of producing clean, unlimited energy through nuclear fusion has taken a major new step forward. The WEST tokamak, located at the CEA research center in Cadarache in southern France, has set a new world record by maintaining stable plasma for 1,337 seconds, or more than 22 minutes. This result, achieved on February 12, 2025, exceeds the previous record set by Asia’s EAST reactor by 25 percent, marking a major step toward commercial fusion reactors.

WEST, an acronym for Tungsten Environment in Steady-state Tokamak, where “W” is the chemical symbol for tungsten, is a French tokamak that was originally launched as Tore Supra after the closure of TFR (the Fontenay-aux-Roses tokamak) and Petula (in Grenoble).
The original name comes from the words “torus” and “superconductor”, as Tore Supra was for a long time the only tokamak of its size equipped with superconducting toroidal magnets, which allowed it to generate a strong permanent toroidal magnetic field. After a major upgrade with tungsten walls and divertors, the tokamak was renamed WEST (the name refers to EAST, another “competing” tokamak located in Hefei, China).

WEST, part of the EUROfusion consortium, is one of Europe’s leading mid-sized tokamaks and plays a key role in the preparation of ITER, the international project aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale nuclear fusion. Maintaining stable plasma for several minutes, as is the case in the tungsten environment of a stationary tokamak, is crucial for the future operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, which will have to operate with longer and more intense plasma.

The WEST tokamak research team celebrates a new world record for plasma lifetime, the result of years of dedication and technological innovation: this milestone brings the scientific community one step closer to creating a working fusion reactor, contributing to a sustainable energy future.

Plasma Problems: Stability and Durability of Materials

The process of nuclear fusion is based on plasma, a very hot ionized gas. However, controlling it is a major challenge due to its inherent instability and the extreme conditions it is exposed to. To achieve the 22-minute record, researchers at the Atomic Energy Commission used radio frequency antennas to heat the plasma and generate electrical currents that stabilized its behavior.

“I would like to congratulate the WEST team and their collaborators on this important milestone. The tungsten environment in the tokamak’s steady state is critical to the preparation for ITER operation and the development of fusion energy,”

said Gianfranco Federici, EUROfusion Program Manager.
WEST’s success is due not only to the durability of its materials, but also to the strength of its materials. The tungsten components surrounding the plasma must withstand extreme temperatures and intense radiation without damaging or contaminating the plasma. During the experiment, a thermal power of 2 megawatts was applied and the total energy extracted was 2.6 gigajoules, demonstrating the robustness of the system.

WEST’s powerful tokamak magnets are essential for confining plasma at extremely high temperatures, enabling controlled nuclear fusion: recent results from the magnets have contributed to a record 22 minutes of stable plasma, bringing commercial fusion reactors closer to reality.

Towards the Future: Ambitious Goals for ITER and Beyond

In the coming months, the WEST working group aims to achieve longer durations, up to several hours, and increase the heating power from 2 MW to 10 MW. This will allow it to simulate the expected conditions for the future International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITR) DT (Deuterium-Tritium) stage, which is expected to reach gigawatt-scale power.
The ultimate goal is to harness self-sustaining plasma powered by fusion reactions and produce energy on an industrial scale.

“Controlling unstable plasma over long periods of time is a huge technological challenge, but it is critical to the future of fusion energy,”

Global Consequences: Is an Energy Revolution Coming?

WEST’s achievements are not only a scientific success, but also an encouraging sign for the future of clean energy. Nuclear fusion, if realized, could revolutionize the energy sector by offering a virtually limitless, safe, low-carbon energy source.
As ITER approaches its planned 2035 operational phase, experiments like those conducted by WEST provide valuable data to optimize the design and operation of future reactors. With each record broken, the dream of commercial fusion power becomes more real.

Recently, the WEST tokamak, featuring cutting-edge design and advanced technology, achieved a historic milestone by maintaining stable plasma for more than 22 minutes: this success is an important step towards the adoption of nuclear fusion as a clean and sustainable energy source.

Provence takes a step towards the energy of the future

The creation of a tungsten environment in a stationary tokamak, carried out at the largest nuclear energy research and development centre in Europe, located in the Provençal commune of Saint-Paul-lès-Durance under the supervision of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), represents a major milestone in the race for nuclear fusion.
Thanks to the support of facilities such as ITER and constant technological progress, the possibility of a revolutionary sustainable energy future is getting closer. As Gianfranco Federici confirms from his special observatory,