Wendelstein 7-X
Wendelstein 7-X is a stellarator fusion device run by Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany. It is operating. Like every fusion device built so far, it has produced no net electricity.
The largest stellarator ever built, setting successive records for plasma duration and the triple product that measures fusion performance.
A stellarator twists its magnetic field with the shape of the coils rather than by driving a current through the plasma. That makes the magnets fiendish to build — W7-X's coils were only practical once modern computational optimisation existed — but it removes the current-driven disruptions that are a tokamak's central problem, and it can in principle run continuously.
| Organisation | Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics |
|---|---|
| Approach | stellarator |
| Confinement | magnetic |
| Country | Germany |
| Status | Operating |
| First plasma | 2015 |
| Target date | none stated |
|---|---|
| Power target | none stated |
| Energy gain target | none stated |
| Net electricity | No. no fusion device has produced any |
Other stellarator projects
| Project | Status |
|---|---|
| Infinity Two | Planned |
Fusion needs tritium, and the world's civilian stock comes mostly from CANDU fission reactors. See the fusion overview.
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Nuclear Fusion Power · retrieved 2026-09-07