Components for the ITER machine and plant systems come in all shapes, sizes and weights. For transportation purposes, the largest and heaviest fall into two categories: the Highly Exceptional Loads (HEL) and the Conventional Exceptional Loads (CEL). Any load heavier than 60 tonnes, or with dimensions in excess of 5 metres in height and/or 5 metres in width, is considered an HEL.  Of a total of approximately 300 scheduled HEL, 35 have already reached the ITER site. As for the CEL, their number is estimated at 3,000. Transporting an HEL from its unloading point at Fos-sur-Mer harbour to the ITER site is a massive and costly logistics operation. Once loaded onto a trailer, the HEL must be transferred to a specially-designed barge and ferried across the inland sea Etang-de-Berre. From then on, the land journey along the 104-kilometre ITER Itinerary must be performed at night—roads must be closed to traffic and reopened after the convoy's passage, up to 260 kilometres of detours must be organized, and two different thruways (which the convoy crosses in four different locations) must be closed for the better part of the night. In addition, several dozen "escort and assistance" technicians—along with gendarmerie forces—need to be mobilized. CEL, on the other hand, travel by day on regular roads directly from Fos harbour and completely avoid crossing the Etang-de-Berre. They also do not require roadway closings and demand only limited technical assistance, plus two gendarmerie motorcyclists to regulate traffic. The difference in cost is considerable. "One of the specifications of our logistics service provider framework contract is to always seek best value for money," explains François Genevey, the ITER project director at DAHER. "Reducing transportation costs is also a strong preoccupation for Europe, which pays for the last leg of the operation—once a load has reached French territory."   It so happens that the size and weight of several loads are situated at the lower limit of the HEL category. "If we can 'downgrade' them into CEL," adds Genevey, "we can achieve a double benefit: one is obviously cost; the other is a strong reduction of the inconvenience that HEL convoys represent to the local population. The objective, defined with Europe, is to bring down the number of anticipated HEL loads from 300 to less than 250." The six lower cylinder sectors of the cryostat, part of India's procurement responsibilities for ITER, were initially classified as HEL. But as their height only exceeded the CEL definition by 65 centimetres it was worth trying to downgrade them.  Conventional Exceptional Loads (CEL), by contrast, travel light. Here, the hydraulic bridge trailer carrying a segment of the cryostat passes the gorge of Mirabeau, 10 kilometres to the south of the ITER site. The key to moving a load from one category to the other is engineering. Before the first "HEL-into-CEL" convoy could hit the road, DAHER, the Indian Domestic Agency and cryostat manufacturer Larsen & Toubro Ltd. worked for several months to choose an adapted itinerary, find a suitable trailer and design a reinforced frame to secure the component."In order to avoid obstacles such as bridges or overpasses, we needed a trailer that could be lowered to within 12 centimetres of the road's surface. There is only one trailer in France that offers this possibility ─ a 'hydraulic bridge trailer' whose bed we adapted to meet our requirements."On 27 February the first "HEL-into-CEL" convoy left Fos harbour and arrived at the ITER site two days later. Five subsequent convoys were organized for the remaining cryostat segments, all of them safely delivered on schedule.For DAHER and the European Domestic Agency the objective has been attained: the cost for six CEL convoys proved to be 60 percent lower than the two HEL convoys originally planned (which would have transported three segments each).Ben Slee, the Technical Responsible Officer for ITER component transportation at the European Domestic Agency, is satisfied with the result. "Reduction of project cost and risk is one of Europe's most important objectives. Avoiding the expensive crossing of Etang-de-Berre also means less handling of the component, and thus less risk of eventual damage. Having an incentive clause in our contract with Daher, by which Daher receives part of the money saved, contributes to a very pro-active approach and encourages all parties to look for cost savings."

"'Let There Be Light' follows the story of dedicated scientists working to build a small sun on Earth, which would unleash perpetual, cheap, clean energy for mankind. After decades of failed attempts, a massive push is now underway to crack the holy grail of energy."- From the Internet Movie Database summary   In the ITER Tokamak pit, against a backdrop of concrete, rebar, and scaffolding, a group of construction workers pause briefly to chat with an ITER physicist. They consider the grand ambitions of the project. "We know it's nuclear," says one, "but the molecules and what they do, that's really not our department." The scientist confides in them: "Since I was a kid I've wanted to build this .... I'm a bit crazy." The construction workers chuckle. "Our team is very proud," says one. "We know this is the future of the world."   EyeSteelFilm, a production company based in Montreal, is committed to cinema as a medium of social engagement and socio-political progress. More than three years ago, co-directors Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko paid a visit to ITER on a media day. At the time, they were contemplating making a film on climate change, and seeking a new angle. The scope and scale of the ITER Project—bringing a sun to Earth—captured their imagination. Over time, they became especially intrigued by the human element: the collection of men and women—plasma physicists, design engineers, construction specialists, and multinational civil servants—that would be needed to realize the ITER vision.   The result is a cinematic narrative unlike anything ever made about this "holy grail of energy." The essential science of deuterium-tritium fusion, the archival history of fusion research and ITER, the complex structure of a first-of-kind multinational project—all these by necessity form part of the narrative, but the filmmakers skillfully weave these elements into the background, giving the leading roles to the humans who labour, day after day, steadfast in the belief that their efforts will one day lead to the transformation of society.   Let There Be Light is about more than ITER. Smaller projects, funded by private investment, also figure prominently. One such project, General Fusion, is based near Vancouver, Canada. Its founder and chief inventor, Michel Laberge, who recently spoke at ITER, embodies both the inspiration and the frustration of the fusion quest, recounting scientific and engineering breakthroughs as well as the ever-present practical considerations of how to build a company, overcome skepticism, and obtain funding. "Well ... this fusion business has been going a little slower than we were all hoping," he says to the camera. "But we're still optimistic."   If you're looking for a propaganda piece, don't bother seeing Let There Be Light. Both the filmmakers and the people they film are honest about the hurdles still to be overcome. Therein lies the source of the tension that underlies this multi-decade quest. But the characters are equally candid about the promise of fusion energy, and it is this understanding that fuels their relentless pursuit of the dream. And while the film makes no promises, the message is clear: the realization of the fusion dream is too close to give up now.   EyeSteelFilm has recently premiered "Let There Be Light" in several international film festivals: at the Big Sky Film Festival in Montana, where it won an Artistic Achievement Award; at South by Southwest in Austin, where it received this review from the "Houston Chronicle"; and in Copenhagen, where it recently made its European debut. Critical response to date has been uniformly positive.    

To mark the end of a 10-year campaign to produce China's share of superconducting strand for the ITER magnet systems, the Chinese Domestic Agency organized a ceremony attended by more than 100 people in Xi'an, a capital city in the northwest of the country.  On 13 March representatives from government, industry and the ITER Organization gathered to reflect on the road travelled and celebrate the program's success.   Chinese industry has produced approximately 65 percent of the niobium-titanium (NbTi) strand needed for ITER's poloidal field coils and 7.5 percent of the niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) strand needed for its toroidal field coils. Manufacturing this high-tech material to stringent quality specifications required overcoming many challenges. But through detailed R&D and qualification phases, as well as close cooperation with the ITER Organization and other strand suppliers worldwide, the effort resulted in the promotion and development of Chinese suppliers and the elevation of the Chinese strand industry to world-class status.   The last batch of NbTi strand left the manufacturing facility in March. (Nb3Sn strand production was completed in 2015.)   Arnaud Devred, ITER Magnet Division deputy head in charge of superconductor systems and auxiliaries, attended the ceremony at supplier Western Superconducting Technologies (WST). "There were a number of difficulties, in particular at the beginning, because everything was new: new products, new workshops, new equipment and, above all, new people. But, from the start, there was strong will on the part of company management and staff to use this challenge as an opportunity to learn, grow and develop. Today we are celebrating the hard work and success of WST and of the many people who have contributed. This is good for WST, it is good for China, and it is good for ITER ... and I feel very proud to have been part of this adventure."

On the side of the ITER bioshield that faces the main ITER office building, four large openings have been preserved to allow passage for the neutral beam injection system and diagnostics.   Following the pouring of concrete on 24 March, and two subsequent weeks of drying, the massive semi-circular formwork was ready to be removed on 6 April.   Rather than cutting it and removing it in pieces, which could have damaged the concrete, the contractor chose to pull the formwork out with a powerful winch system that exerted a force of several tonnes.   The operation was quite spectacular. In this photo, we can see the semi-circular formwork for one of the three openings as it has just been "gouged" out of the concrete wall. 

A little less than ten years ago, on 21 November 2007, Chris Llewellyn Smith—a theoretical physicist who was at the time the director of the United Kingdom's fusion program—was elected Chair of the ITER Council. The ITER Organization had just been established and clearing and levelling of the ITER site would begin only a few months later. ITER was still a paper project waiting to coalesce into a tangible reality. His term as ITER Council Chair ended in December 2009, a year marked by the completion of the platform preparatory works in April and by the opening of the International School for the children of ITER staff in October.Last week, on 5 April, Sir Chris was back at ITER for the first time since the end of his term. His program included two presentations¹ to the ITER community and of course a tour of ongoing construction. Back from the worksite, he was able to sit with Newsline for an informal interview. It has been almost eight years since you last saw the ITER site with your own eyes. What did you feel when you went down into the Tokamak Pit this morning? I can say that today I saw the dream turning into reality. Of course, I've been watching the progress of construction and manufacturing through the ITER website and publications. But this morning was a different experience. Suddenly, it's real and I can imagine how the Council members feel when they look through the windows of the Council Chamber on the fifth floor. The years 2007-2009 were at times difficult for ITER. Did you ever doubt? No, I never did. But it's always difficult when you are putting money into a project and don't actually see anything tangible coming out of it ─ I mean anything concrete and visible by all. It's like the synchrotron project² I'm involved with now in the Mideast. Big ambitious projects take time. It took more than a century to build a cathedral ... Does this mean that we've lost the capacity to project our dreams over long periods of time? Not if the stakes are high enough. The cathedral builders were prepared to build for future generations, and I think many people are happy to build ITER for their children and grandchildren. Do you think there is sufficient awareness, among members of the general public, of the importance of ITER and fusion? We've certainly come a long way but there's still a long way to go. Now when I give a talk or a presentation on energy, there is always someone in the room who raises the question of ITER and fusion. Maybe that wouldn't have happened a few years back ... (1) "SESAME: Science and Diplomacy in the Middle East" and "Can Future Energy Needs be Met Sustainably?"(2) SESAME (International Centre for Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) is a 2.5 GeV third-generation synchrotron light source which is about to come on line in Jordan. The Members are currently Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey. Sir Chris is the President of SESAME's Council.

JET's famous white buildings will soon be getting a new look as part of the European fusion experiment's preparations for its international successor, ITER. Bosses at the JET facility have decided to replace the white cladding on the exterior of the buildings with mirrored stainless steel to match the material being used at the ITER complex at Cadarache in southern France.The JET machine itself, as the world's largest magnetic fusion experiment, is being used as a test device to help pave the way for ITER — the first fusion project designed to produce industrial-scale quantities of fusion power. Between 2009 and 2011 the interior of JET was replaced with a new 'ITER-like wall' of beryllium and tungsten to get as close to ITER scientific conditions as possible. It is now hoped that replicating the exterior of the ITER buildings at JET will encourage scientists and engineers at Culham to intensify their work to support ITER. The full article was published on the website of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) on 1 April 2017. 

In order to master what's commonly refered to as "the energy transition," a diversity of energy sources need to be matched up in the energy system of the future — decentralized and centralized, weather-dependent and continuously operable units. The technological and economic interactions of all system components (generation, storage, load and transport facilities) and their intelligent networking are being tackled by the Energy System Integration project, which the Helmholtz Association is funding with five million euros in the next three years in the context of their Initiative and Networking Fund. The partners involved, including Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) at Garching und Greifswald, are making further contributions. The aim of the research project is to model the architecture for an environmentally compatible, efficient and stable energy system of the future. Expected as new primary energy source in the second half of the century are fusion power plants, environmentally and climatically friendly facilities supplying about one gigawatt of electric power. The contribution of IPP will therefore be to work out the physical and technical properties of these devices — of either the tokamak or stellarator type. Read more about the project on the IPP Garching website. (Photo: © EFDA)