The European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, travelled to Naka, Japan, to inaugurate the operation of the largest tokamak-type fusion reactor, JT-60SA, located in Ibaraki prefecture.
According to the European Commission, fusion can be considered as one of the next generation energy sources “that can simultaneously meet the challenges of energy supply and the environment”.
In the presence of Mr Masahito Moriyama, Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Commissioner reaffirmed the EU’s cooperation with Japan in the field of fusion energy, particularly in the context of the ITER project, which aims to implement and ensure the integration of all the technologies essential to the operation of an industrial fusion reactor.
“Both sides underlined their support for the operation and technical upgrades of JT-60SA to continue producing groundbreaking research results, useful for ITER and for designing and constructing the fusion reactors of the future”, says a European Commission press release.
The EU and Japan have also pledged to strengthen the JT-60SA International Fusion School (JIFS), due to open in September 2023, with the aim of training young scientists and engineers to make fusion energy a reality in the future. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)