Chairman of National People's Congress of China visits ITER

Three years ago in August 2007, Wu Bangguo, who already held his present position, had actively prepared the ratification of the ITER Agreement by China. Mr. Wu Bangguo was welcomed by ITER Organization Director-General Kaname Ikeda. “Seven great nations have agreed to pool their financial and scientific resources to realize ITER and prove the viability of fusion as a future energy source,” said Kaname Ikeda in his opening remarks. 

Since the ITER Agreement, "impressive progress has been made" said ITER Deputy Director-General, Mr. Shaoqi Wang. The ITER Organization is now firmly established, the design of ITER is finalized and manufacturing of machine components is in full swing around the world. 

"I am very impressed by the scale of the project", said Mr. Wu Bangguo. ITER, he added "represents our hope in the energy of the future.” 

Much remains to be done, however… “Developing fusion as a reliable source of large-scale energy remains a tremendous challenge that requires the concerted efforts of the best scientists and engineers available,” Ikeda stressed, adding: “It also requires the unfailing political will of the world’s leading nations.”

BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS RELEASE 

ITER will be the world's largest experimental fusion facility and is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. ITER is also a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. 

Fusion is the process which powers the sun and the stars. When light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source. 

The ITER project is sited at Cadarache in the South of France. Europe will contribute 45% costs of its construction, while the other six Members to this joint international venture: China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA will each contribute 9% of the costs. 

Pictures of the visit to ITER by Mr Wu Bangguo and of the ITER project are available at: 
http://www.iter.org/org/team/odg/comm/img/2010_07_Bangguo

More information on the ITER project and fusion energy can be found at: 
www.iter.org

CONTACT

Pascale Amenc-Antoni
Tel: +33 4 42 17 66 66