5. Outlook

Given the current state of research into controlled thermonuclear fusion, we can use existing equipment to design the tokamak that will produce a plasma with all the characteristics required for reactor operation. This project, jointly studied by the various countries involved in fusion research, is known as ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), and will generate fusion power of 1.5 GW (thermal). It will still be no more than a research device operating in pulses of 1,000 s, in which the production of electricity would be of no economic interest.

Compared with current experiments, the problems posed by ITER in the field of electrical engineering are mainly linked to changes in scale: compared with Tore Supra, power levels are multiplied by 10, and energies and plasma volume by 100.

As for the reactor, we expect it to be...