Power supply
An electrical substation on the ITER site is the vital link between the 400kV power line and ITER's electricity needs.
Electricity requirements for the ITER plant and facilities will range from 110 MW to up to 620 MW for peak periods of 30 seconds during plasma operation. Power will be provided through the 400 kV circuit that already supplies the nearby CEA Cadarache site—a one-kilometre extension now links the ITER plant into the network.
ITER will have a steady state distribution system to supply the electricity needed to operate the entire plant, as well as offices and the operational facilities. Together, the cooling water and cryogenic systems will absorb about 80% of this supply.
A second pulsed power system will be used during plasma operation to provide the superconducting magnet coils and the heating and current drive systems with the large amount of power that they need. Electricity from the 400 kV circuit will be transformed to an intermediate level (69 kV) via 3 step-down transformers. (More information on this page.)
Emergency backup power for the ITER plant and facilities will be covered by two diesel generators and associated equipment that can provide an alternate source of steady-state power in the case of an emergency.