The Unique ITER Team (UIT), introduced six months ago by ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima following discussions with the ITER Members, started off with a symbolic seating arrangement: at last August's Special Management Advisory Committee (MAC) meeting, the heads of the seven ITER Domestic Agencies sat with ITER Organization management and not, as had been customary, with the MAC members.

Only a small change in protocol, perhaps, but one conveying a much larger meaning: the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies share the same goal, and only an integrated team resolutely pulling in the same direction can address the common challenge of schedule recovery.

As the heads of the seven Domestic Agencies and their closest collaborators convened for five days last week at ITER, participating in more than 75 meetings and countless open and candid discussions and exchanges, it was obvious that the Unique ITER Team had evolved from "concept" into a very concrete reality, rich in content and strong in personality.

Most striking was the atmosphere of these meetings and discussions—something akin to the spirit of a sports team or the enthusiasm of a group of explorers setting out for an exciting voyage.

"In coordinating an international project as large and as complex as ITER, communication is essential," says Ned Sauthoff, the head of the US Domestic Agency. "And true communication requires more than just exchanging through 2D video. In agreement, as in disagreement, an in-person meeting gives you a much better sense of the other person's reaction. It improves the interpersonal relationship and enables trust."

His European colleague, recently appointed F4E Director Henrik Bindslev, is of the same opinion. What is at stake beyond the agenda of each meeting, he says, is "creating relationships" and forming what he calls "professional friendships."

Drawing from his experience as chairman of the European Energy Research Alliance (2010-2012), Bindslev is convinced that "if people get along at the top, it's easier to build cohesion between their respective teams."

Shishir Deshpande, head of ITER India, considers that the 20-odd meetings that he participated in with the ITER Organization were "very useful in identifying many critical issues which pose a risk to schedule. The outcome of the UIT week has exceeded our expectations. Both the planned meetings and those we could arrange on the spot facilitated a speedy decision-making process."

For Anatoli Krasilnikov, head of ITER Russia, the UIT meeting was "definitely useful." Although he spent only two days at ITER last week—"Russia has fewer interfaces than other Domestic Agencies," he explains—he particularly appreciated having, like the other Domestic Agencies, a permanent office at his disposal in the ITER building.

"We have demonstrated that UIT works," assures Eisuke Tada, the head of the Japanese Domestic Agency. "It was perceptible: we were happy to be together, sharing, discussing and, most important, deciding. UIT significantly improves communication, not only between the ITER Organization and the seven Domestic Agencies, but also between the Domestic Agencies themselves."

Of course, the UIT is just getting underway. "This second UIT week was much better than the previous one in January," says Luo Delong, head of the Chinese Domestic Agency. "We've taken decisions, but we need to take more."

For Kijung Jung, head of the Korean Domestic Agency, "the UIT is a very sound investment to recover the project's schedule. It promotes mutual trust, understanding and confidence. Spending a whole work week with your colleagues helps you understand their difficulties—and helps them understand yours. UIT is an improved management tool which translates directly into keeping the project within schedule and cost."

 

Staff and contractors hadn't yet taken possession of their offices in the brand-new ITER Headquarters building last autumn and already planning was underway for the second round of works. Between spring 2013 and spring 2014, if all goes according to schedule, the Headquarters building will be extended to the west by 35 metres, providing space for an additional 350 employees.

The original architectural design of the building called for office space for 460, with two options for extension (for an additional 250 desk spaces per option). As early as June 2008, the ITER Organization reported to the Second ITER Council that at least one of the two options would be required: projections for the Construction and Operation Phases of ITER placed manpower requirements at between 1,000 and 1,100 desk spaces.

"Despite the rationalization of the building's internal layout, which increased its capacity to 500, and another 300 existing desks in the former Headquarters building, the insufficiency of available space for the long-term needs of the project was evident," explains head of Building & Site Infrastructure Tim Watson.
 
As construction began on the 20,500 square-metre Headquarters, BSI conducted a study of the potential options for additional desk space. One consideration prevailed: in the interest of efficiency, any new office space should be as close as possible to the Headquarters building. Could pre-fabricated buildings be a solution? Or would a permanent extension be more cost efficient in the long run?
 
"It turned out that all indicators pointed to a permanent extension as the most rational and cost-efficient solution," says Tim. "Pre-fabricated buildings have higher operational and maintenance costs, and in the longer term they have to be replaced. By adding onto the Headquarters building we will be able to capitalize on existing infrastructure such as lifts and some of the heating and cooling system capacity. We'll also save time by not having to submit a new building permit and by working with the architect and building designers that just completed the ITER Headquarters."

The proposition of a permanent extension to the Headquarters Building was submitted to the ITER Council in June 2012 and endorsed.

The new extension will be architecturally compatible with the main building—five-stories, the same height and width, and the signature vertical slats on the public facade. Walking along an interior corridor, it won't be evident where the "old" building ends and the new begins. The building will be equipped with the usual services, meeting rooms and offices for 2-4, and also a large proportion of "open space" offices hosting up to 24 people. One unique feature will occupy an inner room on the ground floor: a 3D virtual reality room that will be used for design and engineering activities.

Since January 2012, BSI has worked closely with the architect and building designers to establish the technical specifications for the extension. Preliminary specifications were distributed through the ITER Domestic Agencies to inform potentially interested construction firms of the upcoming tender to be issued by the ITER Organization. This phase has now ended and the tender offer is on the point of being launched.

For ITER staff, extension works should become a daily reality beginning this summer. Following the award of the extension construction contract, BSI estimates that 12 months will be necessary for building works—an "aggressive but achievable" schedule.

Something that surprises many people when they see their first plasma pulse on a screen in the control room, is that the plasma is invisible. There is a bit of glow around the edges, and the divertor — the bottom area of the vessel where the plasma touches the tiles — glows red hot. But the core of the plasma, at something like 100 million degrees, is completely transparent.

This is a desirable characteristic — it means that there is no energy being lost via radiation. It comes about because the atoms of the hydrogen fuel have been completely stripped of their electrons, or ionised. When attached to a nucleus at lower temperatures, these electrons absorb and emit light as they jump between the energy levels, but once they are detached that mechanism is disabled, so no light is absorbed or emitted.

To become this transparent, of course all the electrons must be detached. There is a pink glow around the edges because the plasma is cooler and so some electrons are attached, but generally for deuterium and tritium atoms, their single electron is easily removed. But for all other elements, with more electrons, it is harder to remove every last one and therefore to completely prevent energy leaking out through in the form of radiation.

It is going to be busy times for Dhiren Mathur, ITER's new Internal Auditor, who arrived from India only two weeks ago to succeed Sandy Holt who returned to the US at the end of last year. Talking to all of ITER's Departments and Directorates to learn about the project—how functions work and interact, what the procedures are, and also to understand the issues—is going to take all of his time in the weeks to come.

Because auditing is not just about checking that the figures match, but also about organizational performance, procurements and contracts, and understanding technical needs and expectations.

And understanding the larger picture of the way in which an organization functions is what Dhiren has a long experience in. A mechanical and mechanical design engineer by training along with other auditing qualifications, he has spent a number of years in the engineering consultancy companies of India and with overseas multinationals in the gas/oil and nuclear industries.

About 20 years ago he joined the Indian Audit & Accounts Department under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India; in this capacity he audited multiple projects and organizations both inside as well as outside India, among them the FAO (Rome), UNICC (Geneva), WHO-TDR (Geneva) and other audit assignments in more than ten countries.

When the opportunity arose to join ITER, Dhiren did not hesitate a moment and took a sabbatical from the Indian Auditing Department. "ITER is such a unique project, built by so many different countries and breaking all known technology barriers to demonstrate to the world that fusion is a viable energy source," he says. "Being part of something so complex, something that has never been done before, is a challenge that I would not have wanted to miss."

The key missions of Dhiren at ITER concern the cost and schedule: ensuring that effective cost containment measures are in place for the project to remain on track, reinforcing controls, implementing measures against cost slippage, assessing procurement and contract processes and timeliness of payment, but also carrying out independent auditing and management reviews in other areas. 

He will perform a 2013 risk assessment for the ITER Organization in relation to the ITER audit charter with an aim to further align the work of internal audit with ITER business goals and objectives.

This very busy agenda will not leave much spare time to Dhiren, whose family will not be moving to France just yet. But whenever he gets the chance, he plans to be on the seaside practicing his favourite water sports and adding a couple of new words each day to his school French.