Progress of JT-60SA Project: EU-JA joint efforts for assembly and fabrication of superconducting tokamak facilities and its research planning

Highlights: • JT-60SA Project is promoted under the BA Agreement and JA national programme. • JT-60SA is designed to operate in break-even equivalent condition for a long period. • JT-60SA Project supports and complements the ITER project, and promotes DEMO design. • Fabrication of JT-60SA components and assembly in Naka are steadily going on. • JT-60SA Research Plan has been developed jointly by EU and JA fusion communities. - Abstract: Aiming at supporting the early realization of fusion energy, the JT-60SA Project has shown steady progress for several years toward the first plasma in 2019 under the dual frameworks: the Satellite Tokamak Programme of the Broader Approach Agreement between EU and Japan, and the Japanese national programme. JT-60SA is a superconducting tokamak designed to operate in break-even equivalent conditions for a long pulse duration (typically 100 s) with a maximum plasma current of 5.5 MA. A variety of plasma control capabilities enable JT-60SA to contribute directly to the ITER project and also to DEMO by addressing key engineering and physics issues for advanced plasma operation. Design and fabrication of JT-60SA components, shared by the EU and Japan, started in 2007. Assembly in the torus hall started in January 2013, and welding work of the vacuum vessel sectors (seven 40° sectors and two 30° sectors) is currently ongoing on the cryostat base. Other components such as TF coils, PF coils, power supplies, cryogenic system, cryostat vessel, thermal shields and so on were or are being delivered to the Naka site for installation, assembly and commissioning. This paper gives technical progress on fabrication, installation and assembly of tokamak components and ancillary systems, as well as progress of the JT-60SA Research Plan being developed jointly by European and Japanese fusion communities.