MAST Upgrade Heating Power Doubled with Installation of Double Beam Box

New Component Installed at Culham

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has completed the installation of a double beam box on the MAST Upgrade spherical tokamak at its Culham campus near Oxford. The component houses two neutral beam injectors arranged in a double-decker configuration, bringing the total number of injectors on the machine to four and doubling its heating power to 8.8 MW. The upgrade also doubles achievable plasma temperatures, which UKAEA says will allow researchers to investigate plasma conditions and technologies relevant to future fusion power plants.

The double beam box vessel has a volume of 20 cubic metres and is fabricated from 316L stainless steel, a material selected for its vacuum compatibility under the ultra-high vacuum conditions required inside the vessel.

Timeline and Additional Upgrades

UKAEA expects all major hardware to be manufactured and installed within the vessel by the end of Autumn 2027, with scientific experiments scheduled to begin in 2028. Andrew Thornton, Head of MAST Upgrade Operations at UKAEA, described the lift of the double beam box as a significant step forward, noting that the increased heating power will allow the team to study the stability of higher-pressure plasmas and assess how the machine's exhaust system performs under hotter, higher-performance conditions.

Alongside the neutral beam work, UKAEA has this year installed an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) system providing an additional 1.6 MW of heating power. The EBW technology is also planned for use in the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), the United Kingdom's prototype fusion power plant to be sited at West Burton in Nottinghamshire. Current work on MAST Upgrade additionally involves the transfer and repurposing of power supply equipment from the Joint European Torus (JET), which was retired in 2023 after four decades of operation.

Research Objectives and STEP Linkage

MAST Upgrade has three principal research aims: investigating novel exhaust concepts, advancing the spherical tokamak design as a candidate for a future power plant, and extending physics knowledge in support of the broader fusion programme. A central focus is the divertor, the component responsible for managing particles and heat ejected from the plasma. UKAEA notes that intense power loads in future large-scale fusion machines risk damaging divertor components, potentially requiring replacement every few years and undermining the economic competitiveness of fusion energy. The programme aims to develop divertor solutions that reduce power loads to manageable levels.

In August, MAST Upgrade completed its fifth experimental campaign, during which it achieved its highest recorded plasma pressure while addressing plasma instability issues regarded as essential prerequisites for commercial fusion power. The machine is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and participates in the EUROfusion European Medium-Sized Tokamak Programme.

STEP, which draws directly on MAST Upgrade research, is targeted to begin operating by 2040. Its stated technical objectives include delivering net electricity output greater than 100 MW, achieving tritium self-sufficiency, qualifying materials and components under fusion conditions, and establishing a viable path to affordable lifecycle costs.

Vedanta Power names ex-NPCIL executive to head nuclear strategy

Vedanta Power Limited has appointed Kishor U Agrawal, a former senior executive at Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, as Director, Nuclear Strategy & Advisory. He will report to CEO Rajinder Singh Ahuja.

The hire follows the enactment of the SHANTI Act, 2025, which opened India's nuclear power sector to private participation, and aligns with a government target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047.

Agrawal brings more than 36 years of nuclear industry experience, including work on Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor and Light Water Reactor projects at NPCIL. He subsequently served as Vice President – Nuclear Business at Jindal India Power Limited and held a role as Executive Director – Technical & Strategic, India at Tenex JSC.

Scope of the new role

In his new position, Agrawal is charged with developing a 5–10 GW nuclear power roadmap covering both large reactors and small modular reactors, evaluating reactor OEMs, and progressing technology transfer and localisation efforts.

Strengthening indigenous manufacturing and vendor capabilities
Assessing project economics including CAPEX, OPEX, and levelised cost of electricity
Managing procurement and EPC contract strategy

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