ITER Council endorses updated schedule focused on First Plasma

At its Eighteenth Meeting on 15 and 16 June 2016, the ITER Council reviewed the Resource-Loaded Integrated Schedule as proposed by the ITER Organization. The Council concluded that: 

— The successful completion of all project milestones to date, on or ahead of schedule, is a positive indicator of the collective capacity of the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies to continue to deliver on the updated Schedule. 
— The updated Schedule is challenging but technically achievable, duly validated with a thorough and comprehensive review by the independent ITER Council Review Group. 
— The updated Schedule represents the best technically achievable path forward to First Plasma, which will mark the completion of the key assembly and commissioning phases of the Tokamak and support facilities. 
—  A sharp focus on the core elements through First Plasma will effectively reduce project risks. 
— The evidence of increased effectiveness of decision-making, improved understanding of risks, and rigour in adhering to commitments provides a renewed basis for confidence that the Project will maintain its current positive momentum. This effort will be sustained. 

With the Council endorsement, Members now have all the elements needed to go through their domestic processes of obtaining approval for the Resource-Loaded Integrated Schedule, which for some Members includes obtaining approval from budgetary authorities. 

The Council discussed a proposal to conduct reviews focused on aspects critical to project success. Reflecting on these reviews, ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot welcomed the additional oversight, saying, “We are committed to operating the ITER Project in a spirit of transparency and continuous improvement. These reviews will help to validate our performance, and any additional insights gained will be used to the project’s advantage.” 

The Council also charged the ITER Organization with leading the effort to extend the updated Resource-Loaded Integrated Schedule through Deuterium-Tritium Operation, with sufficient detail to enable the Council to adopt an updated project baseline at its next meeting in November.

BACKGROUND TO THE PRESS RELEASE 

ITER—designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power—will be the world's largest experimental fusion facility. Fusion is the process that 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, abundant and environmentally responsible energy source.

ITER is also a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. Europe is contributing almost half of the 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), are contributing equally to the rest. The ITER Project is under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, in the south of France. 

To see a gallery of pictures from the ITER Council meeting, follow this link. 

For more information on the ITER Project, visit: http://www.iter.org/

CONTACT

Laban Coblentz 
Laban.Coblentz@iter.org 
+33 6 14 16 40 85