August brought no slowdown to the ITER project, as teams across the worksite continued to advance major assembly and installation activities.  Magnet coils addedAfter the successful lift of tokamak sector module #1 at the end of July, focus has shifted to the next-in-line: sector module #9. Each of the tokamak’s nine modules has three main elements—a vacuum vessel sector, two toroidal field coils, and a set of vacuum vessel thermal shield panels. With sector #9 and its thermal shield already in the sector sub-assembly tool, the addition of two toroidal field coils in August means sub-assembly can now be completed. Thermal shield pipes and intercoil structures are now being connected, with the aim of finishing work by the end of November and carrying out the transfer to the tokamak pit at the beginning of December. â€œThe work on sector module #9 is particularly important because it is on the critical path,” says Jens Reich, ITER’s Machine Assembly Program Manager. “We need to move the completed module to the tokamak pit so the next and last sector can take its place in the sector sub-assembly tool. We’re dealing with tight sequences but at this point we are happy with the progress.” The teams celebrate the conclusion of the thermal shield repair program that was coordinated by ITER and executed by INOX-CVA. Vacuum vessel thermal shield repairs completedThe program to repair the vacuum vessel thermal shield after microscopic stress-corrosion cracking was discovered in sections of the cooling pipes came to a close this summer. The repair program, launched in 2023 and completed in July 2026, involved removing approximately 11 kilometres of cooling pipework and grinding away one tonne of silver coating to eliminate any remaining risk from chlorine residues. New piping was then manufactured and bent and welded to the shield panels, whose surfaces were polished to mirror-like perfection to restore their ability to reflect thermal radiation.“It is a remarkable achievement because these repairs represented a first-of-its-kind technical challenge and they were completed by INOX-CVA ahead of schedule,” says Donato Lioce, Tokamak Program Manager. “This is a testament to the excellent teamwork between ITER and the Indian industrial ecosystem.” Teams from ITER and contractor Larsen & Toubro gather to observe the first welds of the bellows installation program. Bellows system takes shapeDuring operation, ITER’s vacuum vessel chamber will undergo vertical and horizontal movement of up to 2.5 centimetres due to thermal expansion and contraction or to relative displacements induced by structural loads. This motion will be accommodated by a system of 93 bellows connecting the vacuum vessel to the cryostat and the cryostat to the Tokamak Building that will allow the machine to “breathe.” The installation began this summer for the rectangular port cell bellows. Five sets are now in place with welding underway on several of them. The welding project that includes the bellows is scheduled to last five years.“It’s been a long path and a lot of work to get to this stage,” says Elena Rodilla, ITER’s Technical Responsible Officer for bellows assembly. “The bellows are part of an enormous welding project so starting work now gives us an advantage, as we can take the lessons learned and apply them to optimize the activities that come later.” Before the load transfer of vacuum vessel sector #5, ITER assembly engineer David Levine verifies one of the rods used to stabilize the component. Another successful load transferOnce installed in the pit, a vacuum vessel sector is temporarily supported beneath a radial beam that distributes its weight between the concrete walls and the central column tool. Then, the bracing tools are removed and the load is transferred to a dedicated gravity support—a delicate operation that requires stabilization with rods and struts before the support is raised into position and gradually assumes the component’s weight. Following the first successful operation in May 2026, two more sectors were transferred this summer, including sector #5 in August. With three sectors now resting on their gravity supports, teams have confirmed the configuration is sufficiently stable to begin preparations for vacuum vessel welding.“What is important is that after the August load transfer of sector #5, the sector just beside it, sector #6, had limited relative movement while the next one, sector #7, remained stable. This shows the process is working as hoped and we can begin to look ahead to the welding phase,” says Sébastien Koczorowski, ITER’s Deputy Program Manager for machine assembly. With the official handover of vacuum vessel sector #3 from the contractor SIMANN on 2 September, a complex repair campaign comes to an end. Repaired and prepared for assemblyVacuum vessel sector #3 has been handed over to assembly teams after a summer of intensive work to complete bevel repairs and other preparatory activities. The component arrived onsite in May and was subsequently rotated into the position required to repair its bevels—the edges that will eventually be welded to neighbouring sectors. Alongside the repairs, teams installed instrumentation on the outer shell and welded bosses on the inner shell. Sector #3 is one of the most heavily instrumented vacuum vessel sectors, carrying 120 sensors that will be used to measure magnetic field during machine operation. Its handover also marks the completion of a three-year campaign to repair sector bevels. The component is now destined for the Assembly Hall, where it will be combined with thermal shield panels and toroidal field coils to form a tokamak sector module.“This is a very good ending to a project that began with a great deal of uncertainty,” said ITER project leader Nicolas Sapet. “Thanks to the excellent work of our teams and industrial partners, we have completed repairs that are essential for the project to move forward.”

European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen’s visit to ITER underscores fusion’s growing role in Europe’s energy strategy. European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen visited ITER on 7 September, highlighting fusion’s strategic potential to strengthen Europe’s energy independence, accelerate decarbonization and reinforce its industrial leadership.“Fusion is a key strategic technology for Europe,” said Jørgensen. “The European Commission is working on a fusion strategy. We want the EU to be the first in the world to commercialize fusion energy technologies. By leveraging our excellent science and industrial base, we can make it happen.”Guided by Director-General Pietro Barabaschi, and accompanied by Marc Lachaise, Director of Fusion for Energy, and Jan Panek, Europe’s Head of Delegation to the ITER Council, Jørgensen took part in meetings and toured the Assembly Hall, the tokamak pit and the magnet cold test facility. As part of the visit, the European Commission delegation tours the Assembly Hall. From left to right: Marc Lachaise (F4E), Jan Panek (European Commission), Dan Jørgensen (European Commission), Pietro Barabaschi (ITER), Francesco Sette (F4E)

ITER takes another step towards full-current trials of select superconducting magnets. Preparations are underway to test a 330-tonne toroidal field coil at 34 kA, more than three times the current achieved during the launch of operations at ITER’s magnet cold test facility earlier this year.Testing began in May at the facility, the world’s largest superconducting magnet test bench, when toroidal field coil #7 was successfully cooled to 4 K and energized to 10 kA. After modifications to the electrical system to allow higher currents, toroidal field coil #17 was installed and cooled to 4 K in approximately 10 days—faster than the previous cooldown. However, during initial electrical tests, higher-than-expected resistance was detected in one of the feeder joints. An investigation traced the resistance to oxidation on one of the contact surfaces. The issue has now been resolved and the coil will be cooled again to 4 K ahead of the next electrical testing campaign targeting 34 kA. Further upgrades to the ITER magnet cold test facility, including additional structural reinforcement, are planned before the start of 68 kA testing, which will begin with toroidal field coil #19.

During a series of high-level meetings in Tokyo in July, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi highlighted recent progress on the project and reaffirmed the importance of Japan’s continued political, scientific and industrial support for the international fusion effort. Minoru Kihara, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, welcomed ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi, Deputy Director-General Yutaka Kamada, and Deputy Head of ITER Construction Project Takayoshi Omae, reaffirming Japan’s continued high-level engagement with the ITER project and the international effort to advance fusion energy. The meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara was the highest-ranking political meeting of the mission, representing the Prime Minister’s Office. Director-General Barabaschi expressed his appreciation for Japan’s long-standing role in ITER and for the country’s continuing contributions to the project. “Japanese contributions are highly appreciated,” he stressed, underlining the importance of Japan’s scientific, industrial and governmental support to ITER’s mission. MEXT Minister Yohei Matsumoto (second from right) receives the ITER delegation. As part of the same mission, Director-General Barabaschi also held a meeting with Yohei Matsumoto, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and his team. MEXT is the ministry responsible for ITER in Japan and a principal source of funding for Japan's contribution to the project. Director-General Barabaschi reported the latest construction progress at ITER and exchanged views on the importance of developing next-generation fusion talent.The Director-General also paid a courtesy visit to Minoru Kiuchi, who is in charge of Japan's Growth Strategy, Startups, Economic and Fiscal Policy, and Regulatory Reform in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet. Minister Kiuchi visited ITER in April 2025 and participated in ITER’s Fusion Energy Day event at Expo 2025. Across these meetings, the Director-General emphasized the importance of maintaining strong cooperation between ITER and Japan as the project advances. The mission to Japan highlighted the continued value of political, scientific and industrial cooperation in advancing fusion energy. Through its sustained participation in ITER, Japan remains a major partner in the global effort to demonstrate fusion energy at a scale relevant for future energy systems. A courtesy visit with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Minoru Kiuchi.

Under a new agreement signed in June 2026, ITER and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) have launched a joint postdoctoral training program that will give early-career researchers the opportunity to conduct fusion research at both institutions under the supervision of experts from China and ITER. ASIPP will be creating a series of postdoctoral positions focused on research topics of mutual interest to the ITER Organization and ASIPP. The selected researchers will be employed by ASIPP and jointly supervised by experts from both organizations. The positions are offered for a two-year term, with research carried out both at ITER and at ASIPP headquarters. These postdoctoral positions are now open to application by Chinese nationals and nationals of other ITER Members. Further information, including application details, is available in Chinese and English here.

French YouTuber Amixem recently visited ITER for a video exploring three of France’s most “off-limit” locations, alongside secret areas of the Eiffel Tower and the French presidential plane. Filmed earlier this year, the visit included a tour of the Assembly Hall with project engineer Raphael Tieulent and the tokamak pit with assembly facility coordinator Isabelle Gentili.The video attracted more than two million views within its first 24 hours online and has since surpassed four million views.Drawing a parallel between the Eiffel Tower and ITER, Amixem remarked: “[The tower] was a kind of technological demonstration, a way of saying to the world: look at what we can do in our time. And I think ITER is exactly the same.”Amixem, whose real name is Maxime Chabroud, launched his YouTube channel in 2012 and today has around 9.5 million subscribers. According to vidIQ, his videos have generated more than 4.5 billion views. While he first gained popularity through gaming content, his channel has since expanded to include humour, challenges, travel, experiments, and large-scale documentary-style productions.The full video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1bW68QJMUI. The video is in French and includes English subtitles as well as an automatically dubbed English audio track.