Major project launched in the US to create an "artificial Sun"

General Atomics, in partnership with the US Department of Energy, has begun developing a unique test facility for fusion energy. The new facility, called the Blanket Component Test Facility (BCTF), will become the world's first specialized site for full-scale testing of blankets, one of the most critical elements of future fusion power plants. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

Although fusion energy is considered a nearly inexhaustible source of clean energy, creating an industrial reactor is much more complex than simply containing hot plasma. The inner walls of the reactor must withstand extreme temperatures and high-energy particle fluxes. This task is performed by special modules placed around the plasma — blankets. They absorb heat, transfer it to a cooling system for electricity generation, and participate in the production of tritium, the primary fuel for fusion.

The future BCTF complex will allow engineers to test how effectively these systems remove heat and verify the stability of fuel production under real power plant conditions. The project brings together prestigious scientific and industrial partners, including the Idaho National Laboratory, Japan's Kyoto Fusioneering, and the University of California.

The test facility will be located at the General Atomics Magnet Technologies Center in San Diego. It is worth noting that this site previously produced the central solenoid for ITER, the world's largest experimental fusion reactor currently under construction in France. The new project will serve to reduce technical risks and significantly accelerate the process of creating commercial fusion power plants.