Final Components for ITER's Central Solenoid Magnet Delivered to France After 15 Years of Development
The last shipment of parts needed to assemble the central solenoid magnet for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor reached Cadarache, France. The 59-foot-tall superconducting system, developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a key element of the multinational fusion project. ITER remains years from achieving first plasma at a cost of €22 billion and counting.
Substrate placeholder — needs review · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Com reported. The central solenoid magnet was developed in the United States at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ITER is cooperatively funded and operated by China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
The central solenoid is 18 meters tall and 59 feet tall. 25 meters wide and 14 feet wide. The magnet is composed of six individual modules. 5 tonnes and more than 135 tons.
7 miles of niobium-tin superconducting cable. Each individual module required a two-year process for fabrication and testing. The magnetic system that includes the ITER central solenoid weighs 3,000 tonnes and 3,300 tons.
The ITER central solenoid magnet is a 59-foot, 3,000-tonne superconducting system that has been 15 years in the making. ITER's tokamak measures a kilometer in length. The project is budgeted at €22 billion and counting.
ITER will never supply electricity to the grid and exists purely as a research tool. It remains years from achieving its primary milestone of first plasma. The delivery marks a milestone for a project nearly two decades after breaking ground.
A wave of private fusion startups is on track to hit similar technical benchmarks faster and more cheaply.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
3 events- 2026-05-06
Final shipment of central solenoid magnet components arrives at ITER site in Cadarache, France
1 sourceOilPrice.com - Prior 15 years
Fabrication and testing of six central solenoid modules, each requiring a two-year process
1 sourceOilPrice.com - Approximately 2006
ITER project breaks ground nearly two decades before current milestone
1 sourceOilPrice.com
Potential Impact
- 01
Advances assembly schedule for ITER's core magnetic system toward eventual first plasma
- 02
Highlights ongoing cost growth and timeline delays for the €22 billion international project
- 03
Provides contrast with faster timelines reported for private fusion companies pursuing similar technical goals
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