Prospects for Cooperation in the Area of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion Development

A delegation from the Japanese company Marubeni Corporation, led by the General Manager of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Division, Mr. Yamazuki Tatsuya, made a working visit to the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NNC RK) to discuss prospects for cooperation in the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion (CTF).

Our organizations have a long-standing history of successful cooperation in enhancing the safety of nuclear reactors. As part of this partnership, unique projects such as COTELS, CORMIT, and Fukushima Debris were implemented. Today, Japanese specialists are focusing on the expertise and experimental capabilities of the NNC RK in the field of CTF. These capabilities are driven by the successful scientific efforts of the Center's research staff at the unique Kazakhstan Material Testing Tokamak (KTM)—a facility with no analogs in the world, research reactors, and auxiliary facilities for plasma experiments. Currently, a wide range of research in support of CTF technologies, including testing candidate materials for the first wall of future thermonuclear reactors, plasma physics research, and testing new technological solutions for thermonuclear reactors, is carried out. The NNC's research reactors have also been used to test materials and components for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The essential scientific data will be used to develop and justify technical solutions for future thermonuclear reactors.

At the end of the visit, the Japanese delegation highly appraised the NNC's expertise in advancing CTF technologies and emphasized the importance and relevance of research in this field as one of the most promising areas for the development of future energy.