LONDON: Scientists in Britain announced Thursday they had smashed a record for generating fusion energy in the final experiment using the Joint European Torus (JET) machines.

Nuclear fusion is the same process that the sun uses to generate heat. Proponents believe it could one day help tackle climate change by providing an abundant, safe and clean source of energy.

A team at the JET facility near Oxford in central England generated 69 megajoules for five seconds using 0.2 milligrams of fuel, beating its previous record set in 2022 by 10 megajoules, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) said.

That is enough to power around 41,000 homes for five seconds. It is the final experiment to be conducted at the JET site using a donut-shaped machine called a tokamak. “JET has operated as close to power-plant conditions as is possible with today’s facilities, and its legacy will be pervasive in all future powerplants,” said Ian Chapman, UKAEA CEO.

“JET’s research findings have critical implications not only for ITER — a fusion research mega-project being built in the south of France — but also for ... other global fusion projects, pursuing a future of safe, low-carbon, and sustainable energy,” he added.