After OP1 in 2023, JT-60SA entered in the Maintenance and Enhancemed (ME1) phase 1, which is currently ongoing. In ME1, JT-60SA is being upgraded with new ports to allow high auxiliary heating power operation, inertially cooled carbon divertor with divertor cryopump is also installed. The Stabilizing Plates with full carbon armours are being set up in the toroidal direction. In-vessel coils such as Fast Plasma Position Control Coils (FPPCCs) and Error Field Correction Coils (EFCCs) were installed and followed by Resistive Wall Mode Control Coils (RWMCCs). The massive gas injection (MGI) system is also to be installed soon, which will be essential for disruption studies.
In parallel to ME1, commissioning of installed components has already started. Specifically, OP2 officially started in 2026 with the commissioning of the FPPCC power supply, designed to manage plasma position at high speeds and of several EFCCs with their power supply, designed to avoid destabilization of n=1 MHD mode. Other systems capable of operating at room temperature and non-vacuum conditions will also be commissioned. The process will progress to high-vacuum conditions and finally to cooling and energizing the large superconducting magnets.
With this commissioning, the final preparations for a new experimental campaign during OP2 is starting, with the goal of developing plasma operations by the end of 2026 including the injection of ECRH and NBI power.
For more information
https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/europe-and-japan-restart-jt-60sa