SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 25. /TASS/. Engineering design on a tokamak [toroidal chamber with magnetic coils - TASS] will kick off in Russia in 2025, while the central part of the unit is planned to be built by 2030, Director of Rosatom’s ITER-Center Anatoly Krasilnikov told TASS on the sidelines of the Atomexpo-2024 international forum.

"Conceptual development has been completed. The basic design of the tokamak with reactor technologies is underway, and is to be completed in 2024, shifting to a detailed design of the machine in 2025," Krasilnikov said. "I believe we have already reached the point where grounds exist to decide to build such a machine," the director said. The central part of the unit - the chamber, electromagnetic systems and the rheostat - is scheduled to be built by 2030, he noted.

Construction of the tokamak with reactor technologies could cost at least 130-150 bln rubles ($1.42-1.64 bln), the expert said. "But this is the construction cost of the tokamak proper. Plenty of peripheral systems will also be required to be built around it - diagnostics, plasma heating and current generation. All that will definitely boost the project cost," Krasilnikov noted.

China is showing great interest in the project, the director said, "They are now building a machine called the BEST. This tokamak will be the world’s largest by size and with the highest plasma density. The design value of the magnetic field in the chamber is 6.15 Tesla. This machine is to begin operation in December 2027. The thermonuclear capacity range is from 20 to 200 MW," he added. A large delegation of Chinese specialists is now at the Atomexpo-2024 forum, which expressed the desire to cooperate with Russia in thermonuclear projects, Krasilnikov added.