Energy · Nuclear power · 8 November 2026
UKAEA installs new beam box for MAST Upgrade
Engineers at the UK Atomic Energy Authority have manoeuvred a 12-tonne component into position for the MAST Upgrade fusion machine. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced that the installation doubles the machine's neutral beam heating power.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced that engineers at the UK Atomic Energy Authority have successfully installed a 12-tonne double beam box component at the Culham Campus. This new addition is part of the ongoing upgrade to the MAST Upgrade fusion machine.
The component houses two neutral beam injectors designed to fire high-energy atoms into the plasma. According to the department, this installation doubles the machine's neutral beam heating power from 4.4 megawatts (MW) to 8.8 MW. As a result, plasma temperatures are expected to rise from 30 million degrees Celsius to 60 million degrees Celsius. Andrew Thornton, Head of MAST Upgrade Operations at UKAEA, stated: "By doubling our heating power, we will explore plasma conditions we simply couldn't reach before."
The upgrade allows researchers to study plasma stability and exhaust system performance under higher pressure and temperature. Other engineering work includes installing a new electron Bernstein wave microwave heating system. Power supply equipment from the Joint European Torus (JET) is also being transferred and repurposed for this project.
Figures published with the announcement show that the completed double beam box vessel will weigh around 15 tonnes and have a volume of 20 cubic metres. The announcement does not state a specific timeline for when the machine will begin full operations following these engineering works.
Written by StreetOwl from Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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