CEA
🇫🇷 FR · Active
The CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) is France's public research body for nuclear energy, defence, digital technology and health, founded in 1945. It has an annual budget of about €5.8 billion and just over 21,000 permanent staff. In fusion, its Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research at Cadarache operates the WEST tokamak, used to test components that face the plasma, and it operates the Laser Mégajoule, a laser facility for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density physics. In fission, its energy directorate researches reactor systems and the fuel cycle, and it has launched start-ups such as the molten-salt reactor developer Stellaria.
- Sector
- Fission, Fusion
- Role
- National laboratory, Research institute
It is the operator of record for WEST (operating) and LMJ (operating). Measured results for WEST are listed below.
Results
Plasma duration (sustained)
claimed2025-02-12
Nuclear fusion: WEST beats the world record for plasma duration!
Design values
| Device | Parameter | Value | Unit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEST | Major radius | 2.5 | m | design valueclaimed |
| WEST | Minor radius | 0.5 | m | design valueclaimed |
| WEST | On-axis magnetic field | 3.7 | T | design valueclaimed |
| WEST | Plasma current | 1 | MA | design valueclaimed |
| WEST | Plasma duration (nominal) | 1,000 | s | design valueclaimed |