On June 18, China achieved a significant milestone by completing and operating the world’s first full high-temperature superconducting tokamak furnace named HH70 in Shanghai. These tokamaks, often referred to as “artificial suns,” are typically large and expensive, but the HH70, designed and built by commercial company Energy Singularity, is smaller and more cost-effective, making it a crucial step towards more commercially viable fusion reactors in the future.
Guo Houyang, co-founder of Energy Singularity and the company’s chief technology officer, emphasized the importance of the HH70 possessing the world’s first magnetic field system made from high-temperature superconducting materials. The development of this milestone within a short timeframe of two years sets a world record for the fastest tokamak development and construction.
The successful operation of the HH70 not only showcases technical feasibility but also opens up possibilities for clean and sustainable energy in the future. As the World Energy Outlook predicts a potential energy shortage of more than 10% by 2050 if fossil fuels gradually diminish from the global market, developing fusion energy becomes increasingly vital.
Recent advancements in high-temperature superconducting materials and other technologies have made it possible to develop an economically viable tokamak furnace that can harness fusion energy, offering a solution to challenges posed by climate change and resource depletion. Energy Singularity aims to build on its achievements by constructing a next-generation tokamak by 2027, which will be a steady-state high-temperature and magnetic field version. This project lays the groundwork for Energy Singularity’s ambitious goal of building an experimental fusion power plant by 2030.