Seoul National University's Applied Superconductivity Research Center announced on the 1st that it has begun a phase 2 joint research project with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to develop a high-temperature superconducting cable, a key component for the UK's next-generation fusion power plant, STEP.
STEP is a large-scale national project led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, aiming to construct the world's first commercial fusion power plant by 2040. The first phase of the project, which started in 2019 and runs until this year, has a budget of approximately 390 billion won, and the design of the high-temperature superconducting magnet-based fusion power plant, which will be built in the Nottinghamshire region, is underway.
Fusion power generation is a method of producing electricity by replicating the nuclear fusion reactions that occur inside stars like the sun on Earth. In a donut-shaped "tokamak" device, ultra-high temperature plasma exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius is confined by powerful magnets to induce fusion reactions. It is valued as a clean energy source because it does not generate carbon or radioactive materials and is gaining attention as a solution to increasing electricity demand driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).
The United Kingdom has chosen Seoul National University for the development of key components for fusion power generation. Utilizing the "uninsulated high-temperature superconducting" technology proposed by Professor Han Seung-yong of Seoul National University's Department of Electrical and Information Engineering allows for reducing the size of existing superconducting magnets to less than one-fifth, significantly decreasing construction and operational expense. Accordingly, Seoul National University and the UK Atomic Energy Authority signed a joint research agreement worth about 1.8 billion won from June of last year to March of this year, proceeding with phase 1 of the high-temperature superconducting cable development.
In phase 1 of the research, domestic corporations PowerNix and Standard Magnet participated in the production of a prototype cable measuring 3.6 meters in length. The completed cable was evaluated in July at the Swiss SULTAN (Superconducting and Electromagnetic Testing) facility, renowned for its world-class performance in superconducting conductor testing. The results showed that it withstood an external magnetic field of 10.9 teslas (T) and a current of 91 kiloamperes (kA), as well as electromagnetic forces of up to 100 tons, without any degradation in performance even after more than 1,400 repetitive tests. This achievement marks a record in the field of high-temperature superconducting cables since the facility's operation began in 1992.
In phase 2 of the joint research, the focus will be on further enhancing the prototype's performance and extending the cable length to several dozen meters through the development of "long-length" technology. Moreover, the collaboration will expand the scope of design, production, and evaluation of high-temperature superconducting magnets applicable to the STEP fusion system, aiming to improve the reliability and technological maturity necessary for actual commercialization.
Seoul National University noted, "The two institutions are expanding their cooperation to include the design, production, and evaluation of a prototype of the 'TF high-temperature superconducting magnet,' a core component of the STEP fusion system," and expressed hope that this research will contribute to strengthening collaboration in small fusion technology and enhancing technical completeness.