Tokamak Energy has achieved a significant scientific milestone after successfully replicating fusion power plant magnetic fields for the first time using its pioneering high temperature superconducting technology. The development places fresh attention on the focus key phrase Tokamak Energy fusion breakthrough, which captures both the scale of the achievement and the wider potential of the company’s magnet systems.
Fusion energy demands exceptionally strong magnetic fields to confine and stabilise hydrogen fuel, heated into plasma at temperatures hotter than the centre of the sun.
Creating these conditions reliably is one of the biggest engineering challenges in clean energy.
The Oxfordshire firm’s Demo4 system, made up of a set of high temperature superconducting magnets built in a tokamak configuration, has now delivered field strengths of 11.8 Tesla at -243 degrees Celsius during tests at its Milton Park site. This is a major step forward for the Tokamak Energy fusion breakthrough and confirms the company’s ability to operate at levels essential for future fusion power plants.
Demo4 also carried seven million ampere turns of electrical current through its centre column.
Because HTS magnets can provide around 200 times the current density of copper, the result points to new capabilities not only for fusion but for other advanced applications.
These include power distribution for data centres, zero emission electric motors for aviation and next generation magnetic levitation transport systems. The Tokamak Energy fusion breakthrough therefore holds significance beyond energy generation alone.
Warrick Matthews, chief executive of Tokamak Energy, said: “These results are a major victory for the race to deliver fusion and HTS as a disruptive new commercial technology. Demo4 represents over a decade of HTS innovation at Tokamak Energy. Born from our fusion mission, it validates one of the technical solutions for getting clean, limitless, safe and secure fusion energy on the grid.”
He added that the system also demonstrates the potential of superconductors in demanding commercial environments, highlighting opportunities across science, power systems and propulsion.
Graham Dunbar, chief engineer for Demo4, said: “Demo4 is delivering exactly what it was built for. Every test provides us with invaluable data and deepens our understanding. This isn’t just about achieving a number – it’s about gaining the confidence and build expertise to scale our technology for future energy-producing fusion systems.”
According to Tokamak Energy, the tests confirm that its HTS magnets can produce the high fields required for fusion while supporting higher current densities alongside plug in cooling. This means they can be smaller, lighter and significantly cheaper to cool than traditional low temperature superconductors.
Further testing to achieve even higher magnetic fields is underway, with additional results expected in early 2026.
The Tokamak Energy fusion breakthrough marks a substantial advance toward practical fusion power and sets the stage for a new generation of high performance superconducting technologies.
