Agora Magazine Sept. 30
Rome – The first superconducting magnet for the JT-60SA experimental nuclear fusion reactor under construction in Japan was presented in Genoa on Tuesday by ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, and ASG Superconductors, a superconducting magnet manufacturing company.
The Tokamak, a plant that will begin the plasma burn-through in 2019, reproduces the same nuclear reaction that occurs in stars. It is part of the Broader Approach Programme promoted by Europe and Japan to accelerate research on nuclear fusion. The agency said that the Euro-Japanese Tokamak ITER being manufactured in Cadarache, France, is a fundamental step in one of the world’s broadest and more complex nuclear fusion programmes. ENEA is part of the Broader Approach Programme and project leader for research on nuclear fusion. The ceremony was attended by ENEA Commissioner Federico Testa, the president of ASG Superconductors Davide Malacalza, the CEO of ASG Vincenzo Giori, Walter Tosto, president of Walter Tosto SpA, and 50 European and Japanese participants in the Technical Coordination Meeting. It was called by ENEA to take stock of the progress on the experimental reactor. Mr Testa said: “The nuclear fusion sector represents a clear example of how the collaboration between research and industry is a winning solution, as proven by the billion euros worth of orders won by Italian companies. Within this framework, ENEA is capable of offering growth opportunities for small and medium-size enterprises wanting to compete on the global market by increasing the transfer of technological know-how and by providing training activities in high technology and innovation.” Mr Mascalza said: “To have manufactured the coils of the JT60SA Tokamak in compliance with the deadlines and the specifications confirms our leadership position in the superconducting magnet sector. Our ever-closer collaboration with ENEA is extremely important because thanks to our competences, a company legally and industrially headquartered in Italy like ASG can compete on international markets for orders to supply magnets for industrial applications and for the med-tech and energy sectors. We are developing wholly Italian innovative technologies like the MgB2 superconducting magnesium diboride wire that could have important applications in energy storage and transportation systems.” (AGI)