The Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST), an experimental compact fusion device under construction in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, has successfully installed its first key component, the Dewar base, marking a milestone on the path toward the world's first electricity generation from fusion power.
Fusion energy, often hailed as the ideal "ultimate energy source," seeks to replicate the nuclear fusion process that powers the sun.
Unlike previous fusion experimental devices, BEST is designed to demonstrate actual "burning" of deuterium-tritium plasma. Since the project's full-scale assembly began in May this year, the facility has attracted significant public attention.
At the heart of BEST lies the Dewar, a core component that functions like a giant high-vacuum thermos flask. It insulates the superconducting magnets, which must operate at minus 269 degrees Celsius, enabling them to confine plasma heated to over 100 million degrees.
The Dewar base serves as the foundation of BEST and will eventually support more than 6,000 tons of equipment.
Weighing over 400 tons, measuring about 18 meters in diameter and five meters in height, the Dewar base is not only the heaviest single component of BEST's main machine, but also the largest vacuum component ever produced by Chinese fusion research scientists.
With the Dewar base successfully installed, other core components of the main machine will be gradually assembled, meaning the BEST device is on course for completion by the end of 2027.
China achieves milestone in compact fusion project with key component installation
China's outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), adopted on Thursday, maps out a systematic path toward high-quality development by building new growth drivers through the fostering of emerging and future industries.
In the latest five-year blueprint, the emerging strategic industries China will nurture have been expanded to include new sectors like intelligent connected new-energy vehicles (NEVs) and robotics. It also outlines plans to establish emerging strategic industry clusters tailored to local conditions, each with its own distinctive features and complementary strengths.
Experts suggested that this marks a shift for emerging industries -- from isolated breakthroughs to scaled, clustered development.
"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we aim to further promote and expand emerging industries in both scale and quality. The development of industrial clusters is a clear reflection of economies of scale. Building on the existing foundation, this will further sharpen the international competitiveness of our emerging industries. The blueprint's emphasis on new application scenarios and innovative business models will also help steer these industries toward a higher quality of development," said Wei Qijia, a researcher at the State Information Center, which is under China's National Development and Reform Commission.
The plan also identifies key frontiers to reach, including quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G. Moving beyond mere technological roadmaps, it also stresses the need to build a full-chain incubation system for future industries.
"This forward-looking approach reflects a keen sense of foresight. The plan introduces mechanisms for identifying and monitoring emerging industries and making dynamic adjustments accordingly. If a particular new area or arena shows potential to foster emerging future technologies, it needs to be identified as early as possible. The blueprint's specific references to initiatives such as pilot zones for future industries and research institutes dedicated to their development also signal an important direction in terms of working methodology -- providing clear guidance on how to nurture the industries of the future," he said.
China's five-year blueprint set to foster emerging, future industries
