China Fusion Energy Co., a CNNC-led state company with 15 billion yuan registered capital set up in Shanghai in July 2025, is pursuing the tokamak path from pilot to commercial plants. Its reference engineering demo reactor design (CFEDR, evolved from CFETR) targets 1.5-3 GW fusion power and >200 MWe net; an international physics design review met in April 2026.
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Current state
| Status | Design |
| Country | China |
| Developer | China Fusion Energy Co. (CNNC-led) with ASIPP / SWIP |
| Developer type | Public |
| Concept | Tokamak |
| Fuel | D-T |
| Purpose | Demonstration |
| Target output (MWe) | 200 |
| Private funding raised | CNY 15bn (as of 2025-07-22) |
| Public funding | State-owned: CNNC 50.35%, PetroChina Kunlun Capital 20%, Shanghai Fusion Energy 11.81% and others |
Notes
private funding raised here is registered capital of the state company (not private VC). Relationship between China Fusion Energy Co. and CFEDR, and the CFEDR site, are not confirmed in the sources reviewed; the CFETR 2020 design date is from secondary coverage. target output is the '>200 MWe net' mission figure. Schedules in secondary sources conflict (demo ~2035, commercial after 2040).
Timeline
- 2020 — The CFETR engineering design was completed. (source)
- 2025-07-22 — China Fusion Energy Co. was established in Shanghai's Lingang zone with 15 billion yuan registered capital, led by CNNC. (source)
- 2026-04-16 — An international committee completed its second review of the CFEDR physics design in Hefei, calling it a credible path to net electricity. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Related projects
- ARC (Commonwealth Fusion Systems) Design · United States
- BEST (Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak) Under construction · China
- CTRFR-1 / Startorus No.1 (Startorus Fusion) Design · China
- EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) Operating · China
- EU DEMO (EUROfusion Demonstration Power Plant) Concept · European Union
- FAST (Fusion by Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) Design · Japan
- HH170 (Energy Singularity) Design · China
- HH70 (Energy Singularity) Operating · China
See all 51 projects in the Fusion Energy Companies & Projects Tracker →
Sources
- State-backed fusion energy firm debuts in Shanghai with 15b yuan investment — Jiemian, checked 2026-10-11
- China launches fusion-focused company — ANS Nuclear Newswire, checked 2026-10-11
- IRFM's participation in the 2nd meeting of the international committee reviewing CFEDR physics design — CEA-IRFM (primary), checked 2026-10-11