China tests world's largest fusion magnet

China has completed and tested the world's largest superconducting fusion magnet, a 582-tonne toroidal-field magnet for its Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) project. Developed by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the China — Chinese Academy of Sciences, the magnet is designed to confine plasma heated to over 100 million degrees Celsius. Alongside, a high-temperature superconducting central solenoid was also tested. The achievement supports China's goal of generating fusion electricity by around 2030. The magnet has 1.3 times the volume and three times the stored magnetic energy of comparable ITER magnets. The six-year program resulted in 47 patents and 25 industry standards. China's EAST reactor earlier set a world record by sustaining plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for 1,066 seconds. Significant challenges remain, including achieving net energy gain.