Shanghai Electric has recently announced significant advancements in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, achieving key milestones in the global projects CRAFT and ITER. These developments are aimed at promoting a sustainable future for the planet. On November 1, 2025, the company revealed the successful delivery of the world”s largest toroidal field coil casing as well as the arrival of the cryostat for the ITER project at the site in France.
These achievements highlight the technological prowess of Chinese enterprises in advancing global fusion energy collaboration and support the worldwide transition to clean energy. Wu Lei, president of Shanghai Electric Group, emphasized the company”s commitment to enhancing fusion energy through technological innovation and international cooperation. He stated, “We will continue to leverage our strengths in high-performance manufacturing and engineering integration to provide robust support for major global scientific projects like ITER, contributing to humanity”s goal of clean energy.”
The recent technological deliveries not only signify important progress for China in manufacturing critical components for fusion but also further solidify the country”s role in the global supply chain for fusion research. In October, the cryostat for the ITER magnet, produced in collaboration between Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group and the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), was transported by sea to the French port of Marseille. From there, it was slowly moved over 70 kilometers inland to the ITER facilities in Cadarache.
As a key member of the ITER project, China collaborates with international partners to advance fusion technology from laboratory settings to commercialization. The joint team from Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group overcame stringent site constraints at ITER, including height, weight, and width limitations, completing the manufacturing process in just 11 months. They achieved millimeter-accurate shaping of large contoured surfaces and distortion-free assembly and welding of large casings and flat flanges with significant diameters, in addition to successfully performing the first vacuum and helium leak tests on an ultra-large vessel, establishing international standards for millimeter-level distortion control and high-vacuum sealing at 10-4 mbar.
ITER stands as the largest and most influential international scientific megaproject, uniting efforts from over 30 countries, including the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the United States, and China. The project”s objective is to achieve large-scale fusion reactions and progress toward the release of stable and controllable energy.
Meanwhile, the world”s largest toroidal field coil casing developed by Shanghai Electric and ASIPP was delivered to the Comprehensive Research Center for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) in Hefei. Entirely constructed from austenitic stainless steel, the casing stands 21 meters tall and 12 meters wide, weighing approximately 400 tons, making it more than 1.2 times larger and nearly twice as heavy as the equivalent component for ITER.
During the ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Conference and the 30th Fusion Energy Conference held on October 14 in Chengdu, Shanghai Electric highlighted two decades of achievements in fusion equipment, which include EAST, CRAFT, BEST, HT 6M, and HL 1, along with their industry-leading system solutions. These accomplishments have generated considerable global interest and underscored the importance of fusion in addressing climate change and future energy demands.
Over the years, Shanghai Electric has tackled key technical challenges in fusion material research, hydrogen-boron fusion at megaamperes, and high-frequency deep penetration laser welding. These advancements have improved the performance of fusion devices under extreme conditions and provided replicable solutions, valuable experience, and a solid technological foundation for global fusion research.
For more information, visit Shanghai Electric.
View the original content: here.
