China switches on nuclear-powered 'artificial sun' for first time

China has turned on its nuclear fusion reactor - which hopes to replicate the sun's heat and energy - for the first time.

Scientists hope the HL-2M Tokamak reactor will offer a powerful and limitless source of clean energy, the Independent reports.

The reactor has been designed to use a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma at temperatures of 150 million C – more than 10 times hotter than the sun's core.

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Based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, the reactor was finished last year after Chinese scientists started developing it in 2006.

The new reactor will also support to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's largest reactor being built in France, state media reports.

China, five other countries and the European Union, are involved in the project.

Nuclear fusion is the same process that powers the sun, and it's what scientists are trying to imitate to create a power source on Earth that could one day replace fossil fuels entirely, offering limitless and clean energy.

The reactors aim to replicate the science of stars by merging atomic nuclei, releasing huge amounts of energy which can be regulated and ultimately converted to electricity.

Compared with conventional nuclear plants, it creates little radioactive waste and carries less risk of environmental disaster.

But developing fusion is extremely expensive. Cost of the ITER project are estimated to be from A$30 billion to A$88 billion, making it the world's most costly scientific project.