It's now official: First Plasma in December 2025
20 Jun 2016
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ITER Communication
A two-year effort by the ITER Organization and the seven Domestic Agencies came to fruition on 16 June, as the ITER Council officially announced its endorsement of the Resource-Loaded Integrated Schedule for the ITER Project, which identifies the date of First Plasma as December 2025.
On Thursday 16 June, the ITER Council officially announced its endorsement of the Resource-Loaded Integrated Schedule for the ITER Project, which identifies the date of First Plasma as December 2025.¶
While the ITER Council acknowledges that the endorsed schedule to First Plasma is "challenging but technically achievable," it considers that by meeting all project milestones* to date, on or ahead of schedule, the ITER Organization and Domestic Agencies have already demonstrated their "collective capacity" to deliver on the updated schedule.
The updated Integrated Schedule represents "the best technically achievable path forward to First Plasma."
The Council highlighted the renewed confidence that results from evidence of increased effectiveness of decision-making, improved understanding of risks, and rigour in adhering to commitments.
First Plasma, however, is just the beginning of the road. The Council has asked the ITER Organization to lead the effort to extend the updated schedule through nuclear (deuterium-tritium) operation. Council expects a proposal "with sufficient detail" to enable the adoption of an updated project baseline at its next meeting in November.
"Although all of the Members have certain constraints due to their respective political and administrative processes at home," said Council Chair Won Namkung in his opening remarks, "I have no doubt about the commitment of all of us here today for the success of the project, and in providing utmost support to Domestic Agencies and the Director-General of the ITER Organization."
* During its Seventeenth Meeting in November 2015, the ITER Council approved a number of high-level project milestones for 2016-2017, against which the performance of the project could be monitored.
See the photo gallery below.
The Eighteenth Meeting of the ITER Council takes place at ITER Headquarters on 15 and 16 June 2016, with representatives of all ITER Members attending.
ITER Council Chair Won Namkung is flanked by Council Secretary Sachiko Ishizaka on his right and ITER Council advisory body Chairs Massimo Garribba (MAC) and Yutaka Kamada (STAC) on his left. The US delegation is in the background.
ITER's Deputy Director-Generals: Eisuke Tada (Relations Coordinating Officer) and Gyung-Su Lee (Chief Operating Officer).
From the ITER Organization: Akko Maas, Science Engineering Officer; Laban Coblentz, Head of Communication; and Kattalai Ramachandran Sriram, Head of the Finance & Procurement Department.
The Head of Delegation for the US Member is Franklin Orr (right), US Under Secretary for Science and Energy, Department of Energy (DOE). He is speaking with Adam Cohen, Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Energy (DOE).
Honorary ITER Council Fellow Evgeny Velikhov is also the President of the Russian Kurchatov Institute and former ITER Council Chair. Here, he speaks with the Chair of the Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC),Yutaka Kamada.
For Won Namkung, the Eighteenth ITER Council (IC-18) was the first regular meeting of his term as Council Chair. (He also presided an Extraordinary Meeting of the ITER Council on 27 April 2016.) He is seen making his opening statement at the start of IC-18 on 15 June.
During a short pause in the proceedings Guenter Janeschitz, Deputy Head of ITER's Central Integration Office, exchanges with Richard Kamendje, an observer to the ITER Council from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In the background is Laban Coblentz, ITER Head of Communication.
From left to right: Hejun Yin, Head of the delegation from China and Vice-Minister MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology); Dominique Ristori, Head of the delegation from Europe and Director-General, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission; and Yalan Zhu, Project Officer, ITER China, MOST.
Members of the delegation from Russia (left to right): Vladimir Vlasenkov, Deputy Head of ITER Russia; Viacheslav Pershukov, Deputy Director General, Head of Innovation, Rosatom (back turned); Igor Borovkov, Head of Delegation, Deputy Chief of Staff, Government Executive Office of the Russian Federation; Marina Zbaratskaya, translator; and Sergey Mazurenko, Member of the Russian Federation Presidential Council for Science and Education.
The official group photo for the Eighteenth Meeting of the ITER Council, with representatives of the ITER Members China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States.
ITER Deputy Director-General Eisuke Tada speaks with members of the Japanese delegation: Shigekazu Matsuura, Director of the International Nuclear and Fusion Energy Affairs Division, Research and Development Bureau, MEXT; and Hideyuki Takatsu, Scientific Counsellor, Naka Fusion Institute (QST) and former ITER Council Chair.
ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot (right) and Dominique Ristori from the European Commission (Director-General, DG Energy).
Domestic Agency Heads Johannes Schwemmer (Europe) and Kijung Jung (Korea). In the background, Head of the Director-General's Cabinet, Ioan Cruceana.
Representing India: Dhiraj Bora, Director of the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) and former ITER Director of CODAC, Heating & Diagnostics; Shishir Deshpande, ITER India Head; and Ujjwal Baruah, Project Manager, ITER India, IPR.