The international ITER project for fusion: Why?

The international ITER project for fusion: Why?

ITER is a large-scale scientific experiment that aims to demonstrate that it is possible to produce commercial energy from fusion.

The Q in the formula on the right symbolizes the ratio of fusion power to input power. Q ≥ 10 represents the scientific goal of the ITER project: to deliver ten times the power it consumes. From 50 MW of input power, the ITER machine is designed to produce 500 MW of fusion power - the first of all fusion experiments to produce net energy.

During its operational lifetime, ITER will test key technologies necessary for the next step: the demonstration fusion power plant that will prove that it is possible to capture fusion energy for commercial use.

A cut-away view of the ITER Tokamak, revealing the donut-shaped plasma inside of the vacuum vessel.

The science going on at ITER - and all around the world in support of ITER - will benefit all of mankind.

To understand the ITER project in its myriad technical, scientific, and organizational details is not an easy task. Nevertheless, it is one of our key goals to make the project as accessible and understandable as possible, by providing a wide range of information, and introducing you to some of the people who have come from all over the world to build ITER.

-Kaname Ikeda, ITER Director-General (2005-2010)