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A question and answer session

Nuclear safety policy in France requires that a local information commission (Commission locale d'information, CLI) be established every time a nuclear installation is created.
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The annual CLI meeting in Manosque provided ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi with his first opportunity to interact with the local public, media and authorities. Head of the ITER Safety and Quality Department, Gilles Perrier, presented the project's construction and manufacturing status and explained more about the components to be repaired.
A CLI is an independent body that acts as an interface between the installation's operator and the local population. It is composed of representatives from local government, environmental groups, trade unions, businesses and health professionals.

Anything that the public feels it should know falls under the jurisdiction of the CLI. A CLI can request from the operator any documents deemed necessary, or call on independent laboratories to proceed with environmental and health investigations. The CLI must be consulted on any new project undertaken in the scope of the installation's evolution.

In addition to its day-to-day actions, the ITER CLI (now merged with that of neighbouring CEA-Cadarache) organizes an annual public meeting where the ITER management, along with representatives of the French nuclear safety authority (ASN) and local labour and occupational health departments are invited to present and discuss pending issues.

This year's annual meeting was held on Thursday 24 November in Manosque (where a large proportion of ITER staff reside) and provided the new ITER Director-General, Pietro Barabaschi, with his first opportunity to interact with the local public, media and authorities.

Questions from the public focused on construction and manufacturing status, economic benefits for local companies, and the impact that necessary component repair will have on the project's overall progress. Of all the questions asked, only this last one could not be answered with precision, as repair strategies are presently being explored, and impact on schedule and cost will only be determined once a specific strategy has been chosen.