There is a huge difference between achieving 'fusion power production' and achieving
Net fusion power output, which is producing more energy from the fusion reactions than was input to the device to produce them. ITER is the only scientific/engineering boondoggle that eclipses the Space Launch System - SLS. ITER is years late and billions over budget. Current estimate is 22B. Only the first tests may begin in 2025. Reaching full fusion is projected to take 10 more years.
ITER - Wikipedia
"The reactor was expected to take 10 years to build and ITER had planned to test its first plasma in 2020 and achieve full fusion by 2023, however the schedule is now to test first plasma in 2025 and full fusion in 2035."
One of the private fusion companies (TAE, Helion, General Fusion, etc) are likely to demonstrate fusion breakeven a decade or less before ITER.
However it is the constant downward slope of solar and wind renewable energy cost that makes widespread commercial fusion energy unlikely.
The cost of solar PV per KWh will to be so low when one or more non tokamak approaches are ready to build large commercial plants, it just won't make economic sense to invest the billions to build them, when each KWh they produce costs 5 - 10 times more than power from additional solar PV installations with battery storage. Tony Seba's latest analysis/projections also make this clear.
