ITER Council takes important management and technical decisions

On 20 and 21 November 2013, the governing body of the ITER Organization convened in St Paul-lez Durance, France. This two-day meeting brought together senior representatives from all seven ITER Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States—under the chairmanship of Hideyuki Takatsu (Japan). 

The Council noted that all major contracts for on-site civil works, a crucial milestone for the Project, have now been signed. These contracts with industry partners include the construction and engineering works for the Tokamak Complex and adjacent buildings. All seven Members reported that the pace of manufacturing of key components is also progressing steadily within their respective industries. This includes critical components, such as superconducting coils, the vacuum vessel and the cryostat. 

The Council responded to an internal, biennial independent assessment that urged changes in both project management and governance. The Council agreed with the assessment’s findings, which indicated that the Project faces challenges including schedule delays that need to be addressed immediately. To this effect, an action plan will be presented in mid-January and will be evaluated at an Extraordinary Meeting of the ITER Council in early February 2014. 

The Council approved the proposal by the ITER Organization that operations will commence with a full tungsten divertor, rather than a carbon-fibre divertor that would have been replaced during the second phase of operations with a tungsten divertor. This significant decision, which will result in cost savings for the Project, comes after more than two years of research and development on the tungsten divertor that was supported by successful experiments and testing carried out in the Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus (St. Petersburg, Russia) and on the European Tokamak JET (UK). Council also noted the progress on the design and prototype development of the in-vessel coils, which will improve overall plasma stability, and approved the ITER Organization proposal to include them in the Project Baseline.

The ITER Organization reported the success of the ITER Test Convoy, an 800-ton trailer replicating the dimensions of ITER’s largest and heaviest component loads that travelled the 104-kilometre ITER Itinerary in September to test its physical resistance. This successful precursor paves the way for the deliveries of actual ITER components, which will begin in the summer of 2014. 

Fusion and the ITER Project will be highlighted internationally at the upcoming Monaco ITER International Fusion Energy Days (MIIFED 2013) that will take place from 2-4 December. About 70 high-level speakers and 400 participants from the world of energy, fusion and industry will participate in the event, which will be opened by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. 

The ITER Council elected Gyung-Su Lee as the Vice-Chair of the ITER Council for a one-year term beginning 1 January 2014; Oleg Filatov and Yutaka Kamada respectively as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the ITER Council Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC); and Jiashu Tian and András Siegler respectively as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the ITER Council Management Advisory Committee (MAC). It also reappointed Maurizio Gasparotto and appointed Bong Guen Hong respectively as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Test Blanket Module Program Committee (TBM-PC) and Preman Dinaraj as the Chair of Financial Audit Board. 

The Council thanked the out-going Chairs and Vice-Chairs for their contribution. 

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 will contribute 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), will contribute equally to the rest. The ITER Project is under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, in the south of France. 

Photos of the Council Meeting can be consulted in our on-line album. 

More information on the ITER Project can be found at: http://www.iter.org/

CONTACT

Michel Claessens 
michel.claessens@iter.org 
+33 6 14 16 41 75