SPARC (tokamak)

42°32′37″N 71°37′38″W / 42.5437°N 71.6271°W / 42.5437; -71.6271

SPARC
Soonest/Smallest Possible ARC
Device typeTokamak
LocationDevens, Massachusetts, United States
AffiliationCommonwealth Fusion Systems
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Technical specifications
Major radius1.85 m
Minor radius0.57 m
Plasma volume20 m3
Magnetic field12.2 T
Heating power25 MW
Fusion power(140 MW)
Discharge duration(10 s)
Plasma current(8.7 MA)
Plasma temperature(80×106 K)
History
Date(s) of construction2021–present
Year(s) of operation2026 (projected; first plasma)

SPARC is a tokamak under development by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). Funding has come from Eni, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Equinor, Devonshire Investors, and others.

SPARC plans to verify the technology and physics required to build a power plant based on the ARC fusion power plant concept. SPARC is designed to achieve this with margin in excess of breakeven and may be capable of achieving up to 140 MW of fusion power for 10 second bursts despite its relatively compact size.

The project is scheduled to start operations in 2026, with the goal of demonstrating net power (Q > 1) in 2027. It was previously scheduled for operation in 2025 after completing a magnet test in 2021.