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The TBM Program Committee meets twice a year to review the implementation of TBM program—including the Members' Test Blanket Systems and the ITER Organization's TBM integration activities—and to report to the ITER Council. The Program Committee reviews the status of the TBM-related activities within the ITER Organization, TBM design and R&D progress within the ITER Members, and the status of corresponding milestones. The main objectives of this ninth meeting were to define the short-term steps that need to be performed in order to keep to the present Baseline schedule for the TBM Program as well as possible corrective actions which should be pursued in case of delays. Participants noted that the TBM Program schedule is closely linked to that of several ITER components (e.g., nuclear buildings); therefore, the coherence of the schedules needs to be continuously monitored. Among the key milestones for the TBM Program are the signing of the six specific TBM Arrangements (TBMAs) that correspond to the formal implementation of each Test Blanket System in ITER. Following the endorsement of the generic TBM Arrangement by the ITER Council at its last meeting in June 2012, each ITER Member with responsibility for a TBM System (denoted a "TBM Leader") has started the preparation of the draft of the corresponding specific TBMA and evaluated a realistic date for its signature by the Director-General and the designated ITER Member representative. These dates, ranging from January to December 2014, were reviewed and noted by the Committee. The first component delivery associated with the TBM Program is expected as early as 2016: the Test Blanket System connection pipes will connect the components located in the TBM equatorial port cell to the components located in other rooms of the Tokamak Complex via the corresponding shaft and/or the corridor. These connection pipes belong to the six Test Blanket Systems and should therefore be procured by the relevant ITER Members. The TBM-PC agreed, in principle, to transfer responsibility for this procurement to the ITER Organization since it is advantageous to implement a common and unique procurement. The corresponding scope of the compensation, in terms of finance and human resources, was also agreed. The TBM Program Committee also took note of the status of the activities of the Test Blanket Program Working Group (TBP-WG) on Radwaste Management. Its Chair, PK Wattal, reported on the work performed by the ITER Members to evaluate the expected volume and characteristics of the radwaste and on the corresponding classification performed by Agence ITER France, the official entity which the Host State has charged with the future management of ITER radwaste. Issues associated with the transporting of irradiated TBMs to the owner countries were also addressed. The outcomes of this ninth meeting of the Test Blanket Module (TBM) Program Committee will reported to the ITER Council meeting in June.  A 150 m2 mockup has been created on site to demonstrate the complex pattern of the steel reinforcement bars planned for the B2 foundation slab. Four different areas of rebar presenting specific challenges (density, complexity) will be reproduced at 1:1 scale in the mockup.  Approximately half of the propping and formwork is completed for the B2 slab. Reinforcement activities have started—in all 4,000 tons of rebar will be installed.  Work begins at sunrise on another slab of the Assembly Building basemat. Currently 70 workers are active in this area of the platform.  Participants to the ITER Business Forum IBF/13 are taken on a tour of the ITER construction site. The ITER Business Forum, held every two years, aims to facilitate the participation of industry in the ITER project.  The backfill around the drain pipes is filled in progressively and compacted in stages. Photo: F4E  Work will begin on the civil works of the 360,000, three-building Tokamak Complex in 2013. The European Domestic Agency for ITER concluded the civil works contract with the French-Spanish consortium VFR in December. Photo: F4E 
01 Jun, 2013 : ITER Open Doors Day 2013
Saturday, 1 June 2013, the ITER Organization is holding its annual Open Doors Day. Do you live in the area? You can sign up by clicking on the link at right.
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02 Dec, 2013 : MIIFED 2013
The Monaco ITER International Fusion Energy Days (MIIFED 2013), organized under the high patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, will showcase ITER progress, the status of construction, and the global socio-economic context of fusion energy.
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