Professor Alain Bécoulet, Deputy Director General and Chief Scientist of the ITER Organization, visited ENN Fusion on March 25 for discussions and exchanges on fusion energy. Dr. Minsheng Liu, Director of ENN Fusion, and Dr. Martin Peng, Chief Scientist of ENN Fusion, welcomed Professor Bécoulet together with ENN’s technical experts.

During the visit, Professor Bécoulet was invited to deliver a seminar to ENN’s fusion R&D team entitled “ITER Progress and a Global Perspective.” He provided an overview of the major fusion technology pathways being pursued worldwide and presented the latest engineering progress and future plans for ITER, as well as new initiatives to expand private-sector participation in the ITER program. The seminar was followed by lively discussions on topics including the role of AI in advancing fusion, nuclear regulation and safety challenges, and data sharing in fusion research.

At a subsequent meeting, Dr. Yuejiang Shi, Chief Scientist for Experiments at ENN Fusion, presented ENN’s roadmap for spherical torus proton-boron fusion, experimental results from EXL-50U, and an overview of the physics and engineering design of EHL-2. He also highlighted ENN’s efforts to foster open innovation and expand its technology and talent ecosystem.

Professor Bécoulet congratulated ENN on its participation in the International Tokamak Physics and Engineering Activity (ITPEA) and expressed his hope that ENN would become more deeply involved in ITER projects in the future, contributing to the advancement of fusion energy together with international partners.

During his visit, Professor Bécoulet also toured the EXL-50U facility, neutral beam laboratory, superconducting magnet laboratory, and electric machinery test facility, where they met with ENN researchers and discussed ongoing R&D activities.