A major national science project, "EAST superconducting tokamak fusion experimental device", commonly known as an "artificial sun", was declared ready and complete on March 1 in Hefei, Hebei province in China.

The deuterium-tritium reaction is safe, clean, and energy-efficient, and is expected to provide an ultimate solution to China and the world's energy problems. A major national scientific project, the "EAST superconducting tokamak fusion experimental device" is an important step for the country in nuclear fusion research and development. The project was officially approved in July of 1998 by the State Development Planning Commission and launched in October 2000, at a cost of 165 million yuan. It is the world's first non-circular superconducting tokamak and is the first of the world's next-generation, advanced nuclear fusion experimental installations.

Except for a small amount of materials and components that were imported from overseas, researchers at the Hefei Institute of Plasma Physics independently developed all the core components and the vast majority of the key equipment. More than 90% of the installations were developed by Chinese. Moreover, researchers created 65 key new technologies.

By People Daily Online