Plasma edge modellers convene at ITER for Code Camp

According to the IAEA’s Fusion Device Information System (FusDIS), there are almost 150 experimental fusion devices and testing facilities either operating, under construction or in the planned stages, and more than 20 fusion plant designs under development. Recent scientific and technical advances, coupled with a dynamic private sector, and the pressing concerns of climate change and energy security, have shifted the focus toward addressing the remaining challenges. These include demonstrating the technological feasibility of fusion power and ensuring its safety and economic viability as a sustainable energy source.

Through its series of Fusion Energy Conferences (FECs), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has long fostered the exchange of scientific and technical results in fusion R&D. The 30th edition of the FEC—which formally opens tomorrow in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province—is intended to reflect the priorities of this new era in fusion energy research, development, demonstration, and preparation to deployment.

ITER staff members will be participating in the technical program, leading sessions on ITER technology, science and construction. ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi will present the progress of the ITER project and its value for fusion. And, parallel to the conference, the Second Ministerial Meeting of the IAEA World Fusion Energy Group will take place on Tuesday 14 October, one year after its inaugural meeting. 

Newsline will have a full report next week.

Click to see the IAEA FEC 2025 general conference website and the conference program.

The fusion neutron source IFMIF-DONES, under construction in Granada, Spain, is the subject of a special issue of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) journal Nuclear Fusion (Issue 12, Volume 65, December 2025). Through a preface and 15 focus articles, it presents an overview of the engineering basis underpinning the facility, including key decisions taken, and previews its experimental capabilities.

Access the special issue at this link.

The next generation of fusion experts is coming to ITER in November. About 150 PhD students from European universities, laboratories and institutes will gather at ITER from 4-6 November 2025 under the umbrella of FuseNet, the European fusion education network, for its annual PhD Event—an event that coincides this year with FuseNet’s fifteenth anniversary. 

During their three-day stay at ITER, the students will hear keynote talks about recent developments in the field of fusion energy and at ITER, join a round-table discussion about public-private partnerships in the field, and have a peek at the ITER tokamak in the making. 

The students will also share their own research—either as a poster presentation or in an oral presentation Pecha Kucha style. As is customary with these meet-and-greet events, students will also have many opportunities to network with fellow researchers. 

Click to read more about the event or to download the program. (The event is fully booked; no registration is possible.)

In September 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held its annual General Conference in Vienna, with representatives from most of the IAEA Member States plus participants from international organizations and non-governmental organizations. The ITER Organization, which has a long history of close collaboration with the IAEA, was present. ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi addressed the plenary session with a recorded video statement; he was also one of the panelists at a special side session dedicated to fusion regulation. The ITER Organization also had a stand in the General Conference Exhibition organized around the theme "Fusion Energy is our Future."

Follow these links to watch the video address of the ITER Director-General or download the transcript.