Ever dreamt of harnessing the sun's power on Earth? ☀️ This week, on December 8, 2025, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met to map out economic work for 2026, underlining a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). One big highlight? Fusion energy—China’s so-called artificial sun—is moving at lightning speed.
We sat down with Duan Xuru, chief scientist at China National Nuclear Corporation, to break down the fusion roadmap. Here’s the lowdown:
- Fast-track experiments: This year, superconducting tokamaks in the Chinese mainland hit new benchmarks in plasma temperature and stability.
- Demo plant by 2035: Next up is building a demonstration fusion reactor to test continuous power output.
- Industrial rollout: Beyond 2035, the goal is to refine materials and magnets for a pilot fusion plant linked to the grid.
Why does this matter for us? Fusion promises near-limitless, clean energy with minimal waste—imagine powering Bangalore’s startups or Jakarta’s tech hubs without carbon worries! 🌏🔥
Fusion science can sound complex, but here’s the deal: it’s like smushing hydrogen atoms so hard they fuse, releasing massive energy—just like what happens in our sun. Think of tokamaks as giant donut-shaped ovens that trap super-hot plasma with magnetic fields.
With policy support from the 15th Five-Year Plan highlighting science, tech, and new industries, fusion research gets a turbo boost. If all goes well, we could see commercial fusion power by the 2040s, reshaping our energy landscape.
Stay tuned as we keep an eye on this hot topic! 🔥⚛️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
