PRELIMS BITS
China’s EAST reactor set a new record by sustaining plasma for 1,000 seconds, surpassing the previous 403-second record in 2023. This milestone brings nuclear fusion closer to continuous power generation, offering a promising alternative to fossil fuels.
About Nuclear Fusion: Fusion, the process powering the sun, merges atomic nuclei to release energy with minimal waste and no greenhouse gases. It’s considered a “holy grail” for virtually unlimited, clean energy.
EAST Reactor and Tokamaks: EAST, located in Hefei, mimics the sun’s fusion process using tokamak technology, which absorbs fusion energy as heat to generate electricity. It’s part of China’s broader effort in fusion energy, alongside other reactors like HL-2M.
Global Effort: China participates in the ITER project, aiming to build the world’s largest fusion reactor by 2035.