The first module of the ITER Central Solenoid has been delivered to the international fusion energy project's worksite in Cadarache, France, marking a significant hardware milestone. The 135-ton component, manufactured by General Atomics in San Diego, completed a multi-stage journey via Houston and Marseille. This delivery represents a critical part of the in-kind contribution from the United States to the multinational experiment, a program managed by US ITER at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The module is the first of six that will be stacked to form the core of the ITER tokamak, with a seventh fabricated as a spare. Source: Oak Ridge
Once fully assembled, the Central Solenoid will stand 18 meters tall, weigh 1,000 tons, and function as the backbone of the ITER magnetic confinement system. Its primary role is to induce a powerful current of up to 15 million amperes within the D-T plasma. This current provides a substantial portion of the initial plasma heating and is essential for shaping and stabilizing the plasma column throughout the fusion pulse. The magnet's immense power qualifies it as the most powerful pulsed superconducting magnet ever constructed, capable of storing 5.5 gigajoules of energy. Source: Oak Ridge
Once fully assembled, the Central Solenoid will stand 18 meters tall, weigh 1,000 tons, and function as the backbone of the [ITER](/programs/iter) magnetic confinement system.
The magnet's performance is enabled by its niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) superconducting conductors, which must be cooled to near absolute zero to operate without electrical resistance. This first module alone contains 5.6 kilometers of the advanced conductor. When energized with 45,000 amperes of current, the Central Solenoid will generate a peak magnetic field of 13 Tesla. The magnetic forces generated are immense, with the structure needing to withstand forces equivalent to twice the thrust of a Space Shuttle lift-off. This delivery follows years of complex fabrication, including heat treatment, insulation, and precision winding processes at the General Atomics facility. Source: Oak Ridge
This hardware arrival is a tangible sign of progress for the ITER project, which has faced revised timelines and budget adjustments. The Central Solenoid is one of the most technically demanding components and a long-lead item, making its delivery a critical-path dependency for the machine's assembly sequence. The US is responsible for approximately 9% of ITER's total construction and operational costs, fulfilled primarily through in-kind hardware contributions like the solenoid, plasma diagnostics, and fueling systems. Successful integration of this first module will be a key test of the project's complex international logistics and assembly procedures, providing valuable data for the installation of the remaining five modules. Source: Oak Ridge