International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, Korea Completes Production of 'Vacuum Vessel' Responsible Part

Securing Global Leadership in Realizing Nuclear Fusion Energy

On the 21st (local time) in Cadarache, France, Pietro Barabaschi, Secretary-General of the ITER international organization, and officials from seven member countries are taking a commemorative photo ahead of the ceremony celebrating the completion of manufacturing and procurement of the vacuum vessel sector supplied by Korea. Photo by Ministry of Science and ICT

The production and procurement of the vacuum vessel sector, which South Korea was responsible for in the construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international consortium aimed at realizing nuclear fusion known as the energy source of dreams, have been completed.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced this on the 22nd, expressing expectations that this achievement will lay the foundation for securing global leadership in core technologies necessary for the future construction of nuclear fusion demonstration reactors.

The ITER vacuum vessel is a key facility of the fusion reactor that creates and maintains an ultra-high vacuum environment for generating and sustaining ultra-high temperature plasma. It consists of a total of nine sectors, with South Korea responsible for manufacturing four sectors. Each sector is 13.8 meters tall and weighs approximately 400 tons. When all nine sectors are assembled, the structure weighs up to 5,000 tons, making it a massive structure.

Each vacuum vessel sector is manufactured in four pieces, requiring over 1.6 km of welding to join them. Additionally, strict tolerances of less than a few millimeters must be maintained to assemble the inner wall components without error, demanding highly advanced forming and welding technologies. For this reason, the vacuum vessel is considered the most challenging core component to manufacture among ITER’s parts.

The ITER international organization held a commemorative ceremony on the 21st (local time) in Cadarache, France, celebrating South Korea’s delivery of the final vacuum vessel sector. About 200 officials from seven member countries, including Pietro BARABASCHI, Secretary-General of the ITER Organization, attended to commemorate this significant achievement in ITER construction.

Lee Chang-yoon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Based on the core fusion reactor technologies and manufacturing capabilities secured through participation in the ITER project, we will secure leadership in the upcoming nuclear fusion demonstration reactor construction market and strengthen global leadership. We plan to actively promote policies such as technology development and industrial promotion so that the realization of fusion energy becomes not a dream but a reality."