China will launch a thermonuclear device called the "artificial sun" in 2027. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This project defines the country's strategic goals in the field of nuclear energy. According to Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the facility named BEST (Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak) is planned to be fully operational in 2027.
This device could be the first system in the world to directly generate electricity based on thermonuclear reactions. The project was developed by the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, located in Hefei city.
The main part of the device consists of the D-shaped base, which is a high-vacuum thermos weighing 400 tons, with a diameter of 18 meters and a height of 5 meters. The BEST device is equipped with superconducting magnets that stabilize the burning plasma at a temperature of minus 269 degrees Celsius.
Previously, China implemented a project called EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak), which succeeded in maintaining plasma at a high temperature for more than 1000 seconds. The main goal of the new BEST device is to replicate the energy output process of the sun's core on Earth and to have an unlimited source of clean energy.
Experts believe that if the project is successfully implemented, a new era in global energy security will begin. Such reactors will reduce dependence on oil and gas, decrease emissions into the atmosphere, and ensure stable energy production.
Chinese scientists view this project as an example of national and global scientific cooperation. According to them, the "artificial sun" is not only a technological achievement but also an important symbol leading human civilization into a new energy era.
