On December 30, the Second Jinjiang Forum of the Controlled Nuclear Fusion Innovation Consortium was held in Shanghai. The forum was hosted by China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd. (CFEC) and jointly organized with leading enterprises and research institutions, including Shanghai Electric. As a high-level national platform promoting collaboration across industry, academia, research, and application within China’s fusion sector, the forum focused on advanced technologies underpinning controlled nuclear fusion, including energy conversion systems, energy storage technologies, and special power supply systems. More than 400 representatives from research institutes, central state-owned enterprises, universities, and financial institutions attended to examine key pathways for transitioning fusion energy from experimental research to commercial deployment.

Zhang Libo, Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager of CFEC; and Zhu Zhaokai, Deputy Party Secretary and President of Shanghai Electric Group; Lei Zengguang, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Committee of China National Nuclear Corporation; and Wang Hualin, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the School of Resources and Environmental Engineering at East China University of Science and Technology, attended the forum. The event was chaired by Yu Xuefeng, Deputy Party Secretary of CFEC.

In his opening remarks, Zhu Zhaokai noted that Shanghai Electric is among China’s earliest enterprises engaged in nuclear power equipment manufacturing and one of the most comprehensive domestic suppliers of core equipment for fusion reactor main systems. Through sustained participation in China’s national fusion energy program, the company has built robust manufacturing capabilities across multiple critical technology domains. Leveraging decades of engineering expertise, a global R&D network, and advanced high-end manufacturing platforms, Shanghai Electric will work in close partnership with industry, academic, and research institutions to advance coordinated R&D spanning fundamental physics validation to engineering-scale prototypes. The company aims to accelerate the progression of fusion technology from experimental research to industrial deployment, supporting the long-term transformation of China’s energy system.

In October, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20^th Central Committee of the CPC adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, which, for the first time identified fusion energy as a priority area among future industries. Its strategic positioning was elevated from a “major scientific and technological mission” to a development framework that places equal emphasis on engineering verification and industrial cultivation. This policy shift underscores China’s evolution from technology follower to peer competitor in the global fusion landscape and signals an accelerated push toward world-leading capabilities.

In the frontier field of fusion science and engineering, Shanghai Electric has delivered a series of notable engineering achievements through sustained innovation and targeted investment in high-end manufacturing capabilities. The company has played a key role in the construction and component delivery for major fusion facilities, including: the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT), the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST), HH-70 (the world’s first high-temperature superconducting tokamak), EXL-50U (a spherical torus hydrogen–boron fusion device), and ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). Shanghai Electric has developed and delivered numerous first-of-a-kind critical components, both domestically and internationally, including vacuum vessels, cryostats, thermal shields, TF coil cases, and dedicated test cryostats. Across key manufacturing disciplines—specialty materials development, high-precision machining, precision welding and inspection, extreme-dimension fabrication, and integrated system supply—the company has built differentiated core competencies. These capabilities reinforce its position as a leading industrial contributor to China’s strategic advancement in fusion energy and broader energy transition objectives.