China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

[NoLifeLine]

A team of scientists from China's Institute of Plasma Physics announced this week that plasma in its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) would be ready to begin attempting to generate more energy than it uses, in a world first.

I am dubious about more news that comes out of chines news outlets however they do seem to have made steady progress over the last 10 years. What do you guys think about this development? Do you think China will top ITER?

You do have to give China one thing though. They have done it all on their own. No international partnerships. They have just thrown money and minds at the problem.

For more information about EAST see this https://www.nowscience.co.uk/single-post/2019/03/14/Chinas-artificial-sun-thats-six-times-hotter-than-the-real-thing-will-be-ready-this-year?fbclid=IwAR1Gc_l6kdZ0Hud1C_Y5wuUKimNUQwJyw8B3PLoUo0_PRiIr3sfMrJvlQbQ

 

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A team of scientists from China's Institute of Plasma Physics announced this week that plasma in its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) would be ready to begin attempting to generate more energy than it uses, in a world first.

Where? All I can find are news reports that an upgrade, HL-2M, should finish construction later this year.

As far as I understand it is too small for Q>1. Even if achieves that: It is a nice milestone, but a power plant would need much more, something in the Q=30 range or so. ITER aims at Q=10, that would be somewhere at the edge where you can think of making electricity out of it (ITER won't as its focus is research).