Construction Begins Q2 2027
Ground and long-lead procurement for the first-of-a-kind breeder are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027.
The start of the build
The program schedule places the start of first-of-a-kind (FOAK) construction in Q2 2027. This is the transition from an engineering program to a physical build: site preparation, long-lead procurement of the superconducting magnet materials, and the start of vessel and structural fabrication.
What has to be true to start
- A frozen design point: Q_sci 3.076, 85.0 MW, 9.66 MA plasma current, 16.84 T peak field
- A licensing pathway under a byproduct-material framework in pre-application engagement
- Committed magnet conductor supply and a qualified fabrication route
- A site selected against neutron-handling, utility, and logistics criteria
Long-lead items drive the date
The pacing items are the high-field magnets and the vacuum vessel. REBCO conductor procurement, coil winding, and structural fabrication have lead times measured in many months, so procurement begins at or near the start of construction even though installation comes later in the sequence. The Q2 2027 date is set by when those long-lead commitments can be responsibly placed.
Construction beginning is not the same as operation. The build is planned as roughly a 3.5-year path to the first unit, with first tritium targeted near 2030. Until the machine is assembled, commissioned, and taken through its physics gates, all performance figures remain design and validation values.