March 27, 2025 (EIRNS)—China is poised to start building the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid power plant. The goal is to generate 100 megawatts of continuous electricity and connect to the national grid by the end of the decade. The Xinghuo high-temperature superconducting reactor has entered its first phase, with a public tender for an environmental impact statement. The facility will be built on Yaohu Science Island, in the high-tech zone of Nanchang, Jiangxi province, in central China. The plant is a joint venture between the state-owned China Nuclear Industry Construction Corporation and Lianovation Superconductor, a spin-off from Lianovation Optoelectronics in Jiangxi.
According to a 2023 collaboration agreement, the Xinghuo reactor aims for an energy gain factor (Q value) of more than 30. This Q value measures the ratio of thermal power output to the energy input required to heat the plasma in a fusion reaction. In contrast, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France aims for a Q value above 10. The U.S. National Ignition Facility achieved a Q value of 1.5 in 2022, meaning the energy output was 1.5 times greater than the input.
