On The Road to ITER

At the Geneva Superpower Summit in November 1985, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Secretary-General Mikhaïl Gorbachev meet for the first time and agree on an international effort to develop fusion energy ... "as an inexhaustible source of energy for the benefit of mankind".

At the Reykjavik (Iceland) US-USSR Summit on 11-12 October 1986, an agreement is reached between the European Union (Euratom), Japan, the Soviet Union and the USA to jointly pursue the design for a large international fusion facility, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

The ITER Project begins with the Conceptual Design Activities (CDA) process in April 1988. The CDA takes place in Garching, Germany, at the Max Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik (IPP). Some 50 professional staff representing all the Parties in the ITER Project meet together for six months each year until 1990 under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). CDA aims at defining the technical characteristics of the ITER machine, and validating the resources needed. It also carries out a safety and environmental analysis of the design and defines the construction site technical characteristics. CDA is successfully completed in December 1990.

Experimentation with toroidal configurations starts in the USSR in the mid-1950s at the Kurchatov Institute, Moscow. T-1, considered the "first tokamak" in history, starts operations in 1958. It is followed by a long list of "Ts", culminating in 1988 with the T-15 superconducting tokamak. T-15 ended operations in 1995, but there are now plans to re-start an ITER-relevant program, with an elongated divertor, up to 20MW of heating power, and five-second pulses, which will increase eventually to sixteen minutes.

Ten years before the ITER Project was launched, Europe collaborates to build the Joint European Torus (JET), a large tokamak completed in 1983 in Culham, UK. On 9 November 1991, JET achieves between 1.5 and 2 megawatts of fusion power—"...the first time, "read the official announcement, "a significant amount of power has been obtained from controlled nuclear fusion reactions."

After completing the Conceptual Design Activities (CDAs), the Parties enter into negotiations on how ITER should proceed. On 21 July 1992 in Washington DC (USA), the ITER EDA (Engineering Design Activities) is signed by representatives of the four Parties: the Russian Federation, the USA, Europe, and Japan. Joint Work Sites are set up at three locations: San Diego (USA), Garching, Germany (Euratom), and Naka (Japan). Canada and Kazakhstan become involved by association with Euratom and Russia respectively.

At Princeton, New Jersey, the American Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR), commissioned in 1982, produces a peak of 16 MW controlled fusion power. The following year, the machine achieves a record-setting 510 million degrees plasma. TFTR is decommissioned in 1997.

The Japanese tokamak JT-60, operating in Naka since 1985, achieves the world record for fusion triple product—a figure which measures the performance of a fusion plasma. Triple product has seen an increase of a factor of 10,000 in the last 30 years of fusion research; another factor of 6 is needed to arrive at the levels required for a fusion power plant.

During 1997, the Joint European Torus (JET) sets three world records: 22 MJ of fusion energy in one pulse, 16 MW of peak fusion power, and a 65 percent ratio of fusion power produced to total input power. In spring 1998, the fully remote handling installation of a new divertor (a major in-vessel component) is successfully completed on time, demonstrating another technology vital both to ITER and to a future fusion power plant.

Six years of international collaborative work within the framework of the ITER Engineering Design Activities (EDA) Agreement culminates in the approval by the ITER Council, in June 1998, of the ITER Final Design Report. This provides the first comprehensive design of a fusion reactor based on well-established physics and technology. Its design fulfills the overall programmatic objective of ITER and complies with the detailed technical objectives and technical approaches adopted by the ITER Parties at the start of the EDA.

Concerns about the projected cost of the program lead the USA to end participation in ITER. The San Diego Joint Work Site closes.

A new design ("ITER-FEAT") is produced for ITER, and is approved by the ITER Council in July 2001. The new design maintains the overall programmatic objectives of the project, while integrating cost-cutting measures. Symbolically, the meaning of ITER is changed. It is no longer an acronym for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, but the Latin word "iter" which means "the way."

Following preparatory meetings in Vienna and Moscow, where Canada had presented its bid to host the ITER Project, delegations from the Parties convene in Toronto on 8 November 2001. The Toronto negotiations are the first in a series that will lead to an agreement on the joint implementation of ITER.

China presents a formal request to join ITER on 10 January 2003, with Korea following suit six months later. ITER has now acquired a truly global dimension.

"I am pleased to announce that the United States will join ITER, an ambitious international research project to harness the promise of fusion energy." With this statement by President George W. Bush, issued on 30 January 2003, the United States announces its return to the ITER Project. 

Canada is first to offer a site for ITER in 2001. In June 2003, Japan proposes Rokkasho-Mura, located in Aomori Prefecture. Europe hesitates between Vandellòs, Spain (pictured), and Cadarache, France.

On 26 November 2003, the 25 European Ministers of Science and Research unanimously agree to propose Cadarache, France, as the "European site for ITER." It is also decided at this time that Spain will host the future ITER European Agency. The choice for the location of the ITER Project has now been narrowed to Cadarache, France, and Rokkasho-Mura, Japan.

On 16 December, the Tore Supra—the first superconducting tokamak—achieves a six and a half minute-long plasma discharge. Operated by Euratom-CEA in Cadarache, France, this represents an important step in the direction of the long pulses an industrial reactor will require.

On 23 December 2003, ITER-Canada, the private-sector consortium that had developed an offer to locate ITER in Clarington, Ontario, announces its withdrawal from the ITER negotiations.

<p>On 5 February 2005 in Tokyo, Mr Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr Hugh Richardson, the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Commission to Japan, sign the Agreement for the Joint Implementation of the Broader Approach Activities in the Field of Fusion Energy Research. The Broader Approach is defined as a privileged and equal partnership between the European Union and Japan to complement the ITER Project and to carry out R&amp;D and advanced technology development for the next-step device—the future demonstration fusion power reactor DEMO.</p>

After a period of high-level political negotiations, the decision to locate ITER in Cadarache, France, is reached on 28 June 2005 at a ministerial-level meeting in Moscow. The decision is based on a bilateral agreement between Europe and Japan over cost sharing and the "Broader Approach"—complementary development projects to be located in Japan in support of ITER and the next-step device DEMO.

India joins ITER, bringing Member Parties to seven. Thirty-three nations and more than half the world's population are now involved in ITER.

Ambassador Kaname Ikeda, former Japanese Deputy Minister for Science and Technology and "Director Nominee" for the future ITER Organization, inaugurates the "Joint Work Site" at Cadarache, France, on 15 December.

The signing of the ITER Agreement takes place on Tuesday, 21 November 2006 at the Élysée Palace, in Paris. Present are French President Jacques Chirac, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and some 400 invited guests including high level representatives from the ITER Parties and European Member States. In the afternoon, the Interim ITER Council (IIC) convenes for its first meeting.

Site preparation at Cadarache in southern France begins, representing an important first milestone on the road to building ITER. In all, 90 hectares of land will be cleared for the ITER Project.

The second meeting of the Interim ITER Council (IIC) takes place on 11-12 July in Tokyo, Japan, under the Chairmanship of Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith, Director of UKAEA Culham (UK Atomic Energy Authority) and Chairman of the Consultative Committee for Euratom on Fusion. "The progress reported and the constructive discussions that took place during the meeting bode well for the future," sums up the IIC Chairman. "The important and unprecedented international ITER collaboration is now taking the first steps to fruition."

Part of France's commitments as host of the ITER Project, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School opens its doors in September 2007. Pending the construction of an entirely new facility, which should be completed in September 2010, the school has taken up tempory accommodations in Manosque's Lycée Les Iscles, some 20 kilometres north of the ITER site. 130 children and students, aged 3 to 17, are enrolled for the first school year—half of them "ITER children." The International School is operated under the authority of the French Ministry of Education. Half of the classes are given in French; the other half in a foreign language (Chinese, English, German, Hindi, Italien, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish).

More than 150 leading experts from the international fusion community complete the one-year-long process of updating the ITER design in September 2007. The review had become necessary because, although the design of the machine had evolved, the only officially recognized documentation and technical specifications dated from 2001. As a result of the review, 14 major design changes are defined.

On 24 October 2007, following ratification by all Parties, the ITER Agreement enters into force and ITER Organization is formally established.

The Headquarters Agreement between France and the ITER Organization is signed on 7 November 2007 and ratified on 13 February 2008.

The first official ITER Council meeting is held at Cadarache, France, on 27 November 2007.

Some 90 percent of the components needed for ITER will be provided "in kind" by the program's Members. The first of more than 100 Procurement Arrangements representing ITER scope is signed on 29 November 2007 with Japan, which will provide nine out of a total of 18 toroidal field magnet coils. A further ten—including a spare—will be produced in Europe.

Work begins on the ITER Itinerary: a 104-kilometre-long specially modified route from the port of Berre l'Etang to Cadarche. During the ITER construction phase, 250 exceptional conveys will travel by night a reduced speeds, carrying exceptionally heavy, large components for the ITER machine. Work is expected to completed by the end of 2010. The first convoys will travel along the ITER Itinerary in June 2011. Thanks

ITER Organization and the Principality of Monaco sign a Partnership Arrangement on 16 January 2008. The agreement sets up five Postdoctoral Fellowships and establishes an annual International Conference on ITER-related research. The Partnership Arrangement is signed by his Excellency, the Minister of the Principality of Monaco, Monsieur Jean Paul Proust and the Director General of the ITER Organization, Kaname Ikeda, in the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II.

On 6 March 2008 a five-year Cooperation Agreement is signed between the ITER Organization and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The Agreement makes the long experience of CERN available to ITER in areas of technology and administration. The Agreement is signed by Kaname Ikeda, Director-General of the ITER Organization, and Robert Aymar, Director-General of CERN, in the presence of senior staff from both organizations. The Agreement enters into force immediately.

On 17-18 June 2008, the ITER Council convenes for the second time in its history. The two day meeting in Aomori, Japan, brings together senior representatives from the seven ITER Members.

The ITER Organization—with the Japanese and European Domestic Agencies—jointly test niobium-titanium (NbTi) superconductor strands for the ITER poloidal field coils. The test coil achieves stable operation at 52 kA and 6.4 Tesla, emulating the operating conditions of the poloidal field coils in the ITER Tokamak. Extremely powerful superconducting magnets will be used to maintain the stability of the fusion plasma inside ITER. Demonstrating that the superconducting strands for these magnets would perform to design specification is one of the most important technological milestones for the project.

Enrollment at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School in Manosque increases to 211 students, from 140 last year. Work is underway to deliver the first part of the new school building: the primary school, administrative offices, restaurant and underground parking facility will be ready in September 2009. The junior and senior high school will be completed by September 2010.

Minister Wan and ITER Director-General Ikeda unveil the logo of the Chinese Domestic Agency, formally named the China International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Execution Center. The ceremony was held on 10 October 2008 in the Ministry of Science & Technology of China (MOST) in Beijing, China. Domestic Agencies have now been created for all seven of the ITER Members.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, and the ITER Organization sign a Cooperative Agreement on 13 October 2008 to enhance research on fusion and strengthen the working relationship between the two organizations. The Agreement includes the exchange of study results relating to fusion energy, and cooperation on training, publications, conferences, research, modelling, and safety and security.

End November 2008 part of the ITER Organization moves onto the ITER site and into the new temporary building JWS 2, renamed ITER Headquarters. 211 staff relocate to this new building, leaving part of the Organization on the CEA grounds.

The ITER Council, the governing body of the one-year-old ITER Organization, convenes for its third meeting in Cadarache. All seven ITER Members are represented. Prior to the meeting, delegates to the ITER Council visit the 180-hectare construction site and note the impressive progress that has been made to date in preparing the site infrastructure and support networks.

The architectural competition for ITER Headquarters&nbsp;is carried by Ricciotti-Bonhomme and Trouvin-CAP Ingelec. The members of the jury—a landscape designer, architects, local politicians, and representatives of the European Commission and the ITER Organization—were unanimous in deciding that the proposed project was&nbsp;"elegant, functional and striking" The aim, according to its creators, is to "reflect the international nature of a scientific collaborative project unique in history."

The ITER Divertor Test Platform Facility is officially inaugurated in Tampere, Finland, on 29 January 2009. This facility will develop and test the maintenance robot and remote handling operations necessary for replacing parts of the ITER divertor. The Tampere facility currently hosts the first full-size prototype of the cassette multifunctional mover: a 20-metre-long, 65-tonne structure that will be capable of manoeuvring individual ten-tonne divertor cassettes along a complex trajectory.

Work on the impressive ITER platform comes to an end in April, 2009. Two years were necessary to clear and level 42 hectares; the platform is now ready to receive the scientific buildings and facilities of the ITER Project. Pre-excavation work will begin in 2009 for the Tokamak Building in order to explore the underlying soil and rock&nbsp;in more detail. The first concrete for the buildings will be poured in 2010.

The Broader Approach site—also called the International Fusion Energy Research Centre (IFERC)—is inaugurated in Rokkasho, Japan, on 10 April 2009. The Broader Approach agreement signed in February 2007 between the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the Japanese government established a framework for Japan and Europe to conduct research and development in support of ITER over a period of ten years. The Broader Approach site will house a supercomputer and remote experiment building, a DEMO research and development building, and an accelerator prototype building.

The ITER Council convenes for the fourth time in its history in Mito, Japan, on 17-18 June. It endorses a phased approach to commissioning ITER: the major components of the machine such as the magnets and the vacuum vessel will be assembled and tested prior to their progressive installation, and before the introduction of advanced operation scenarios. The date of 2018 for hydrogen operation is maintained; operation with deuterium and tritium fuels is scheduled for 2026.

In October, 2009, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School situated in Manosque opens its doors to elementary school children, as the first phase of the EUR&nbsp;55 million building project is delivered. Junior and senior high school students will join the elementary students in September 2010, upon completion of the two-year project.

Meeting for the fifth time in its history on 18-19 November at Cadarache, France, the ITER Council notes that the manufacturing phase of ITER has begun: contracts have now been signed with industry in all seven of the ITER Members. Council requests further work on the schedule to establish &quot;<em>early&quot;</em> and &quot;<em>late&quot;</em> finish dates for First Plasma that are acceptable to all Members, taking into careful account technical and cost risks. Vice-Chair Evgeny Velikhov from the Russian Federation is appointed Chairman of the ITER Council from January 1, 2010, replacing Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith who has reached the end of his term.

The ITER CLI—Commission Locale d'Information—is formally established on 7 December 2009 to serve as an interface between ITER and the local public. Composed of 42 representatives of local government, environmental groups, trade unions, businesses and health officials, the ITER CLI is an independent body, with the power to request environmental or health studies in relation to the operation of the ITER facility.

On 12 April, the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy, and a consortium of four European companies, Engage, sign the Architect Engineering contract that covers the construction of buildings and civil infrastructures for ITER. This contract—one of the biggest engineering contracts ever signed in Europe—opens the way for the detailed design and construction of the ITER installation, a process expected to take eight years. The Engage consortium is made up of Assystem (France), Atkins (UK), Empresados Agrupados (Spain) and Iosis (France). Photo credit: © Engage

<div>A second temporary office building adjacent to ITER Headquarters opens to house members of the ITER Civil Construction &amp; Site Support Office, a large team from the European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy (responsible for all building contruction on the platform), and representatives of the Engage Consortium, named Architect Engineer in April 2010.</div>

<div>The governing body of the ITER Organization, the ITER Council, convenes for its sixth meeting in Suzhou, China, on 16-17 June. All Members of the ITER collaboration reiterate their support for the project, commending the progress that has been achieved.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&quot;Thanks to tremendous efforts from both the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies, about 60 percent of the global Procurement Arrangements for ITER have already been concluded,&quot; Director-General Kaname Ikeda said in his opening comments. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&quot;In bringing ITER this far, we have together had to face many daunting challenges. With full mutual understanding, good will and family spirit, we have no doubt that we shall be able to find the best way forward to serve our common objective to secure the complete success of this remarkable project,&quot; commented José Manuel Silva Rodríguez, Head of the European Delegation.<br /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The construction of the first ITER buildings is expected to start in August&nbsp;2010.</div>

<div>On 20 June, the ITER Organization approves a Credit Request&nbsp;for the first for actual hardware&nbsp;produced by industry that will be used for components installed in the Tokamak.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Credit Request, submitted by the Japanese Domestic Agency for a total amount of 7.82 kIUA (corresponding to EUR 12.14 million),&nbsp;encompasses the order of 17 tonnes of Nb3Sn-based strands, 2.4 kilometres of superconducting cables and one 760-metre-long copper dummy conductor. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In total, the acceptance of this material required the clearance of 318 Authorization-To-Proceed Points by the Japanese Domestic Agency (308 for strands and 10 for cables) and one Conductor Hold Point by the ITER Organization.</div>

<div>The notarial deed for the handover of the ITER site from the CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Renouvelables) to the ITER Organization is signed on 6 July 2010. Effective 26 July 2010, this signature transfers the responsibility and the possession of the ITER site to the ITER Organization for the duration of the ITER Agreement (24 October 2042).<br /></div>

<div>On 28 July 2010, the ITER Council convenes in Cadarache for an extraordinary meeting in order to complete discussions on the ITER Baseline. The Baseline&nbsp;describes ITER cost, schedule and technical parameters all the way from the beginning of construction through commissioning, and on to deuterium-tritium (D-T) operation. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The main schedule milestones will be the achievement of First Plasma in November 2019 and the start of D-T operation by March 2027, ultimately taking ITER to 500 MW output power. The ITER Council unanimously approves this Baseline, and encourages optimization of the schedule&nbsp;wherever possible&nbsp;in order to advance D-T operation to 2026.</div>

<div>At the extraordinary meeting of the ITER Council in July 2010, Prof. Osamu Motojima is appointed&nbsp;Director-General of the ITER Organization. Prof. Motojima takes over from&nbsp;Kaname Ikeda, who&nbsp;led the ITER Organization from November 2005 to July 2010. Osamu Motojima, a well-known and much respected figure in the field of fusion science in Japan and abroad, was formerly Director General of the Japanese National Institute for Fusion Science. </div>

<div>Bulldozers, scrapers and power shovels are back on the ITER platform! Under the responsibility of the European Domestic Agency, work&nbsp;begins on the Tokamak excavation area, the ITER Headquarters building,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the 14,000-square-metre zone that will host the Poloidal Field Coils Assembly Facility.</div>

<div>Construction work on the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School&nbsp;is completed on time. For its forth academic season, the school opens its doors to&nbsp;students aged 3 to 18 in brand-new premises. Unique in the region, the International School caters to 410 students of 27 nationalities—53 percent children of ITER staff and 47 percent&nbsp;from the local area. It offers six language sections, instruction in ten languages and—new in 2010—facilities for 50 boarders.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Two years were necessary to complete this EUR 55 million project designed by the architects Riccioti and Battesti, and financed by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Council.</div>

<div>On 17 November, the ITER Organization celebrates the unveiling of the foundation stone for the Headquarters Office building. &quot;Our long dream has now become a tangible reality,&quot; says Director-General Motojima in his address. &quot;In a little more than 18 months, we will move into this beautifully-designed and functional building [...] where we will work as hard as we can to meet our deadlines and make ITER happen.&quot;</div>

<p>On 17-18 November, the ITER Council, the governing body of the ITER Organization, convenes for its seventh meeting in Cadarache, France. The Council welcomes the actions taken by the Director-General since his appointment and commends the strong collaboration between the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies towards cost containment and cost savings.</p> <p>The project enters the Construction Phase immediately after the Baseline is approved at the extraordinary ITER Council on 28 July 2010; the ITER Council notes with approval the extensive work at the ITER site and the placement of high-tech manufacturing contracts by all ITER Members.</p>

<div>The first Monaco ITER International Fusion Energy Days (MIIFED) are held on 23-25 November. </div> <div><br />Hosted by the Principality of Monaco, and jointly organized by the ITER Organization, the Principality and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), this three-day conference offers scientists, industrialists, politicians and the press an opportunity to explore and discuss what is at stake in the energy world, and how fusion and ITER can help to meet the challenges of the coming decades.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The MIIFED conference will be hosted by Monaco every three years as part of the Partnership Arrangement signed between the Principality and the ITER Organization in January 2008.<br /></div>

<div>Major modifications to roads, bridges and intersections along the 104 kilometre ITER Itinerary are completed. Three years&nbsp;and&nbsp;EUR 110 million were devoted to this large-scale undertaking,&nbsp;whose costs were shared by the Bouches-du-Rhône department Council (79%) and the French State (21%). </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Two trial runs will be held in 2011 to put the Itinerary's resistance and layout to the test before a full-scale test convoy in 2012. Between 2012 and 2017, approximately 200 exceptional convoys will be transported along the ITER Itinerary from the port in Berre l'Etang on the Mediterranean Sea to Cadarache.</div>

<div>The excavation works begun in August 2010 for the Tokamak Complex Seismic Isolation Pit are now completed. Six months were necessary to excavate down to 17 metres,&nbsp;removing 210,000 m³ of rocky material in the process. The ITER Tokamak will be assembled&nbsp;here, nestled in among thick foundations and retaining walls—part of the anti-seismic measures planned for the protection of the machine. Photo: Altivue</div>

<div>Following the signature of ITER Organization's 51st Procurement Arrangement in&nbsp;March,&nbsp;the project's cumulative commitment for in-kind contributions&nbsp;reaches 64 percent.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Seven ITER Members—representing 34 individual nations—are sharing the responsibility for building the ITER machine and facilities. During the negotiations that preceded the signing of the ITER Agreement, the original sharing of procurement was decided between the Members—about 45.5 percent for Europe, which hosts the project,&nbsp;and 9.1 percent each for China, India, Japan, Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The lion's share (90 percent) will be delivered by means of in-kind contributions; in the place of cash, the Members will be delivering components and buildings directly to the ITER Organization. </div>

<div>Convening for the eighth time in its history on 14-15 June 2011&nbsp;in Aomori, Japan, the ITER Council&nbsp;notes measures taken to improve the management of the ITER Organization and expresses satisfaction with the progress of building construction in Cadarache and the fabrication of major components. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Maintaining the ITER Project's schedule within approved funding, including mitigating the effects of the Japanese earthquake on the manufacturing of critical components, are among the important issues discussed.&nbsp;A strategic plan aiming at schedule performance recovery will be developed by the beginning of October 2011.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In the words of ITER Organization Director-General, Osamu Motojima, &quot;We will take all necessary measures to minimize the delay.&quot;</div>

<div>At 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 9 August, foundation pouring begins to create the lower basemat of the ITER Tokamak Complex. </div>

<div>On 2 September, 2011 the ITER community celebrates its first &quot;ITER Day&quot; at the nearly completed Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility. The event commemorates the decision by the seven ITER Members on 28 June 2005 to build ITER in Cadarache, France. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On this occasion, Director-General Motojima states. &quot;This is the inauguration of what I hope will be a long-lasting tradition in our community. Let us remember on this occasion that what we are building here is not an ordinary project. It is one that could change the course of civilization and our culture in the near future.&quot;</div>

<div>The ninth edition of the ITER Council takes place under the Chairmanship of Evgeny Velikhov (Russia) on 17-18 November 2011 in Cadarache, France. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Council commends a highly productive period of project execution under the ITER Organization's leadership, including the successful efforts to advance ITER design and construction, and&nbsp;contain costs and minimize delays—especially in the face of the Great East Japan earthquake.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Hideyuki Takatsu from Japan will take over as ITER Council Chair beginning with calendar year 2010 for a two-year term.</div>

<div>On 22 December 2011, the last segment of the Seismic Pit basemat is poured, four-and-a-half months after work began. <br />&nbsp;<br />The foundation work in the Tokamak Pit is on time: the retaining walls and anti-seismic bearings will be in place by March 2012 and formwork will begin to prepare for the next stage—the actual floor of the building that will house the ITER Tokamak.</div>

<p>The Logistics Service Provider (LSP) Framework Contract is signed by the ITER Organization on 10 February 2012 with DAHER. The Logistics Service Provider will be responsible&nbsp;for the transport, logistics and insurance of ITER components, including a&nbsp;significant number of heavy-lift and exceptional-size loads that&nbsp;will travel from suppliers' factories in China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the&nbsp;United States to the ITER site during the construction phase of the project. </p>

<div>A ceremony for the handover of the completed Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility takes place on 14 February between the building consortium Spie Batignolles/ Omega Concept/Setec and the European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy, with representatives of the ITER Organization present. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In this 257-metre-long facility, the winding and assembly operations for five of ITER's giant poloidal field coils will take place beginning 2013.</div>

<div>A ceremony was held in Padua, Italy, on&nbsp;27 February for the launch of the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF), PRIMA. PRIMA is a test-bed for the development and testing of ITER's powerful neutral beams, conceived to deliver 33MW of heating power to the&nbsp;plasma.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Construction will begin in April on the&nbsp;facility that will house two facilities: SPIDER, designed to test the full-size ITER negative ion source (which is twice as large as any&nbsp;existing negative ion source);&nbsp;and MITICA, which is a full-scale test of the&nbsp;heating neutral beam injector.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Consorzio RFX (Italy)&nbsp;and its national organization are providing the facility, including the infrastructure of new buildings covering a surface of two hectares and the adaptation of the existing 400 KV power substation. Europe, Japan and&nbsp;India&nbsp;are&nbsp;contributing components.</div>

<div>The&nbsp;last seismic pad is installed on 18 April 2012, completing the seismic isolation system for the ITER Tokamak Complex.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The seismic isolation system—basemat, retaining walls, and seismic plinths and pads—will protect the Tokamak, Tritium and Diagnostic buildings from ground motion in the case of an earthquake.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Eighteen months&nbsp;were necessary to install 493 seismic pads.</div>

<div>The tenth meeting of the ITER Council is held&nbsp;in Washington D.C. on 20-21 June 2012.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Delegates representing the seven ITER Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States—reassert the importance of the keeping the ITER Project well on schedule and within cost.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Proactive and forward-looking measures are presented by the ITER Organization to stop further slippage in the manufacturing schedules for some major components—measures which rely on the close cooperation of the Domestic Agencies and the ITER Organization.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Council welcomes the report on substantive advances of construction at the ITER site in&nbsp;as well as on progress made in the manufacturing of Tokamak components in all the ITER Members.</div>

<div>In a significant milestone for the ITER licensing process, the ITER Organization is informed in writing by the French safety authorities (ASN) on 20 June that—following an in-depth technical inspection—the operational conditions and the design of ITER as described in the ITER safety files fulfils expected safety requirements. ASN will now transmit the draft decree that authorizes the creation of the ITER nuclear facility to the French government for signature. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>ITER will be the first fusion nuclear installation (Installation Nucléaire de Base) licensed by the French government. </div>

<div>Following the signature of ITER Organization's 76th Procurement Arrangement in June 2012, the project's cumulative commitment for in-kind contributions reaches 80 percent.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Each Procurement Arrangement represents the transfer of work from the ITER Organization to the Domestic Agencies, who will in turn sign contracts with industry.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The status of the ITER Project is changing: ITER is moving from the design phase to the manufacturing of real components. The first manufactured component will arrive on the ITER site in 2014.</div>

<div>After two years of construction work, the striking 20,500-square-metre seat of the ITER Organization is ready for occupation.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The ITER Headquarters building&nbsp;was financed by the European Domestic Agency and by France as Host country.</div>

<div>The decree authorizing the ITER Organization to&nbsp;create the ITER <em>Installation Nucléaire de base </em>(INB) in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance is published in the <em>Journal Official de la République Française </em>on 10 November 2012.&nbsp;This official decree, signed by the French Prime Minister, brings more than 30 months of procedure to an end and clears the way for the pursuit of ITER construction.</div>

Seven years after the establishment in December 2005 of a Joint Work Site for ITER on CEA-Cadarache premises, the ITER team is relocated onto one single campus.<br />&nbsp;<br />Following the completion of the ITER Headquarters, all staff and contractors are now housed—for the first time—within the perimeter of the 180-hectare ITER site.<br /> <div></div>

<div>The Eleventh ITER Council concludes on 29 November 2012 after two days of intense discussion between senior representatives from all the&nbsp;ITER Members.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The ITER Council recognizes&nbsp;substantive project advancements in the areas of on-site construction, licensing, and component manufacturing activities. It also welcomes measures taken since the last ITER Council in June 2012 (IC-10) to counter&nbsp;schedule&nbsp;slippage. The Council supports the integrated project management approach proposed to enhance collaboration between the ITER Organization and the&nbsp;Domestic Agencies—the Unique ITER Team.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Finally,&nbsp;Council celebrates the&nbsp;signature of the decree authorizing the creation of the ITER facility in France.</div>

<div>The European Domestic Agency for ITER signs the contract for the construction of the Tokamak Complex with the VFR Consortium in December. The five-year, EUR 300 million contract covers the construction of the three principal buildings (Tokamak, Diagnostic and Tritium) and accessory buildings including the Tokamak Assembly hall.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The VFR consortium includes French companies VINCI Construction Grands Projets, Razel-Bec, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Campenon Bernard Sud-Est, GTM Sud and Chantiers Modernes Sud and the Spanish firm Ferrovial Agroman.</div>

<p>On Thursday 17 January 2013,&nbsp;the new ITER Headquarters building is inaugurated in&nbsp;the presence of 200 guests and 50 journalists. Günther H. Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Energy,&nbsp; and Geneviève Fioraso, French Minister of Higher Education and Research—together with ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima—unveil the plaque that was created for the entrance of the building. </p> <p>A contribution from Europe and France to the ITER Project, the Headquarters building was completed in September and officially handed over to&nbsp;the ITER Organization on 5 October 2012. </p>

<div>Following modifications to the layout of the ITER site by the European Domestic Agency, responsible for the construction of 39 scientific buildings and dedicated areas on the ITER platform, the ITER Organization submits a building permit modification request to the French authorities in November 2012. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 13 March 2013, the ITER Organization receives notification that the modified building permit is granted; this important document will be annexed to all building contracts on the site to minimize contractors' risk. ITER's original building permit was granted in 2008.</div>

<div>The tenth meeting of the ITER Council is held in Tokyo, Japan on 19-20 June 2013.<br />&nbsp;<br />Delegates representing the seven ITER Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States—note the increasing pace of construction activities and good progress in the manufacturing of Tokamak components and supporting systems, currently underway in all the ITER Members.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Council welcomes improved collaboration between the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies as part of the Unique ITER team, created to improve project execution with a goal to achieving schedule acceleration.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Finally, the ITER Council reaffirms the importance of sustained efforts regarding schedule implementation, while recognizing the challenges due to the first-of-a-kind nature of ITER. </div>

<div>On 6 September 2013 ministerial-level representatives from the seven ITER Members gather at ITER Headquarters to reaffirm the importance of ITER&nbsp;for the world's future energy needs. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Against a backdrop of construction work proceeding at full speed, the representatives discuss progress in the implementation of the project; recognize the challenges inherent to such a first-of-a-kind enterprise, notably as regards schedule and cost containment; and reiterate their common effort towards the successful completion of ITER.</div>

<div>During a four-night campaign to test the ITER Itinerary in September 2013, a mock load weighing 800 tonnes is transported the 104 kilometres from Berre l'Etang near the Mediterranean Sea to the ITER site in Saint Paul-lez-Durance. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Measurements collected as the convoy passed over bridges and negotiated its way through towns and intersections served to validate the Itinerary&nbsp;for the transport of the completed ITER components.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Between&nbsp;2014 and 2019, 250&nbsp;exceptional convoys will travel along the ITER Itinerary.</div>

<div>The ITER Project is present at the world's largest gathering on energy, the 22nd&nbsp;World Energy Congress, from 13-17 October 2013 in Daegu, Korea.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The rise of renewables and alternative fuels as well as the development of new energy technologies is increasingly shaping the energy market. In this context, the ITER Organization and the seven ITER Members&nbsp;participate in the Congress for the first time in order to showcase fusion and the ITER Project.</div>

<div>Convening for its 13th meeting, the ITER Council meets in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France from 20-21 November 2013.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Seven years to the day after the signature of the ITER Agreement that officially established a legal international entity to be responsible for construction, operation, and decommissioning of ITER, representatives from the seven ITER Members take important management and technical decisions.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>As the Project&nbsp;enters a phase of unprecedented technical complexity and challenges, a plan of action is necessary&nbsp;to improve overall Project performance. This plan will be presented to an Extraordinary Meeting of the ITER Council in early February 2014.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Council validates two important technical decisions for ITER: the start of operations with a tungsten divertor and the inclusion of in-vessel coils into the ITER Baseline.</div>

<div>The second edition of the Monaco ITER International Fusion Energy Days (MIIFED) takes place from&nbsp;2 to 4 December 2013.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Hosted by the Principality of Monaco,&nbsp;the three-day conference spotlights the latest ITER achievements and developments for&nbsp;the gathered&nbsp;scientists, industrialists, politicians and members of the press. High-level speakers from the world of energy and industry address what&nbsp;is at stake in the energy world, and how fusion and ITER can help to meet the challenges of the coming decades.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The MIIFED conference is financed by&nbsp;Monaco every three years as part of the Partnership Arrangement signed between the Principality and the ITER Organization in January 2008.</div>

<div>In an important milestone for ITER construction, concrete pouring begins on 11 December 2013 for the Tokamak Complex basemat—the actual floor of the three-building Complex that will house the ITER fusion experiments.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>When the basemat is completed in July 2014, work can begin on the civil structure of the Tokamak Complex.</div>

<div>A second&nbsp;ITER Itinerary test is&nbsp;successfully&nbsp;carried out over the period 31 March to 8 April 2014. The&nbsp;transport trailer and&nbsp;800-tonne mock load&nbsp;are transported by barge across the&nbsp;Etang de Berre (four hours) and along the 104-kilometre ITER Itinerary (four nights), arriving in the early morning hours&nbsp;at the ITER site on 8 April. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The specific goals of this second full-scale test operation were to verify the maritime leg of transport,&nbsp;logistics, and overall convoy&nbsp;organization. The ITER Itinerary will transport its first ITER load at the end of 2014. </div>

<div>On 18 and 19 June 2014, the governing body of the ITER Organization convenes in St. Paul-lez-Durance, France. This two-day meeting brings together senior representatives from all seven ITER Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States—under the chairmanship of Robert Iotti (US).</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Council notes the progress accomplished in construction and manufacturing and&nbsp;reviews implementation of the action plan by the ITER Organization to improve the management of the project. The Council also stresses the importance of closer collaboration between the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies in order for the overall project management to be properly aligned with the challenges and needs of the next phase of the project. </div>

<div>On 11 July 2014, ITER receives the visit of José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, who strongly reaffirms Europe's commitment to ITER. &quot;The personal message I want to deliver to you is one of confidence and support,&quot; he tells staff. &quot;Eight years ago, along with President Chirac, I worked hard for ITER to be located here. The European Commission is proud to have believed in this project.&quot;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The EU Commission President was accompanied by French Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research Geneviève Fioraso, who was visiting ITER for the third time in one year. &quot;Thanks to this project,&quot; she said, &quot;Europe is a very young and very ambitious continent.&quot;</div> <div></div>

<div>Work on the&nbsp;Tokamak Complex basemat slab ends on 27 August 2014 with the pouring of the last of 15 segments. This milestone&nbsp;opens the way to a new phase in ITER construction—work can now begin on the walls of the buildings at the heart of the ITER scientific facility. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Five large drain tanks, supports for the base of the cryostat (the concrete crown), and the building walls will be positioned directly on the 9,300 m² surface of the &quot;B2 slab.&quot; Work on the B2 slab (14,000 m³ of concrete, 3,600 tonnes of rebar) was carried out from March 2013 (the beginning of formwork activities) and August 2014.</div>

<div>Four crates of plant system components are delivered to the ITER construction site in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France on 4 September 2014—the first of many thousands to be delivered by the project's Members. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The crates contained 12 high voltage surge arrestors that were shipped by the US Domestic Agency as part of its contribution to the installation's steady state electrical system.</div>

<div>The Fifteenth Meeting of the ITER Council takes place at ITER Headquarters&nbsp;in St Paul-lez-Durance,&nbsp;France from 18-20 November 2014 under the chairmanship of Robert Iotti (US). </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Council&nbsp;nominates Bernard Bigot to succeed Osamu Motojima as the next Director-General of the ITER Organization. Bernard Bigot is currently Chairman of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, CEA (<em>Administrateur général, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives</em>). He is also the High Representative for ITER in France. </div>

<div>The first ITER component to travel the specially modified, 104-km&nbsp;ITER Itinerary reaches the ITER site before dawn on 14 January 2015. The first &quot;Highly Exceptional Load&quot; was a 87-tonne electrical transformer that had been manufactured in Korea on behalf of the US Domestic Agency. Some 250 loads are expected along the ITER Itinerary during ITER assembly.</div>

<div>On 5 March 2015, the ITER Council appoints the third Director-General of ITER Organization history: Bernard Bigot, from France, who&nbsp;has&nbsp;had a long and distinguished career and a record of close involvement with ITER.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>Pictured: Bernard Bigot, ITER Director-General; Osamu Motojima, Director-General Emeritus; Robert Iotti, Chair of the ITER Council.</em></div>

<p>The governing body of the ITER Organization, the ITER Council, meets for its Sixteenth Meeting in St Paul-lez-Durance, France, on 17 and 18 June 2015 under the chairmanship of Robert Iotti (US).</p> <p>The Council takes note of&nbsp;the actions implemented during his first 100 days in office by ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot to strengthen leadership and management and to&nbsp;integrate the ITER Organization Central Team and the seven Domestic Agencies.</p> <div>Work is progressing towards an updated project plan, which recognizes the serious accumulated delays, and which integrates the scope, cost and schedule for the project going forward.</div>

<p>Construction on the buildings of the ITER scientific installation began in August 2010. </p> <p>Five years later, the ground support structure and seismic isolation system of the Tokamak Complex are in place and civil construction is underway on the first of seven levels. Critical networks, drainage and precipitation networks, site access facilities, and a 400 kV electrical substation have been installed; manufacturing facilities for the poloidal field coils and the cryostat erected; ITER Headquarters inaugurated; and progress made on the Assembly Building—the 60-metre-high edifice that will host the pre-assembly operations for ITER machine components.</p> <p>Another four years will be needed to complete construction on the major buildings. </p>

<div>What an honour! On 20 August 2015, an industrial component destined for ITER's liquid helium plant is signed by French President François Hollande during a visit to&nbsp;an Air Liquide facility in Sassenage, France.</div>

<div>In September 2015, the ITER community celebrates the successful conclusion of the project's longest-lead procurement effort—the acquisition of 2,800 tonnes of cable-in-conduit conductors for ITER's magnet systems.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>This successful milestone, made possible only by the tight collaboration of six ITER Members, opens the way to the manufacturing of ITER's supersize magnet coils.</div>

<div>The seventeenth ITER Council concludes on 19 November 2015. The members of the Council, representing the seven ITER Members, recognize the extensive efforts made by the Director-General, the new management team, and the Domestic Agencies since March 2015, noting in particular improvements in project culture, tangible signs of construction and manufacturing progress, and the elaboration of an overall schedule through First Plasma. The schedule and associated resource needs will now be the subject of an independent review. The schedule and milestones covering 2016-2017 are approved and appropriate resources allocated to maintain momentum during this period. The Council plans to complete all reviews and reach agreement on the overall schedule through First Plasma by June 2016.</div>

<div>On 18 December 2015, the ITER Organization validates the first milestone of the 2016-2017 project schedule as the first segments of the massive ITER cryostat are delivered to the ITER site. The arrival of the first 12 (out of 54) segments, which will form part of the cryostat base, represents a double milestone for the project—the arrival of the first elements that will be integrated into the ITER machine, and the ahead-of-schedule achievement of the first project milestone validated by the ITER Council for 2016-2017.</div>

<div>Japan is manufacturing the outer vertical target of the ITER divertor. In December 2015,&nbsp;full-tungsten plasma-facing units manufactured by Japan are successfully tested in Russia at a dedicated high heat flux test facility.</div>

The third edition of the Monaco ITER International Fusion Energy Days (MIIFED) takes place from 8 to 11 February 2016 in association with the ITER Business Forum (IBF/2016). Hosted by the Principality of Monaco, the four-day conference spotlights ITER progress and upcoming business opportunities and aims to instigate contact between industry and ITER. The MIIFED conference is financed by Monaco as part of the Partnership Arrangement signed between the Principality and the ITER Organization in January 2008. Prior editions took place in 2010 and 2013.

<div>Six ITER Members are each contributing a percentage of the 88 km of niobium-tin superconductor that will be necessary for the fabrication of 19 giant D-shaped toroidal field coils (18 in the machine and one spare).&nbsp;Following an eight-year procurement campaign, 90% of toroidal field conductor unit lengths have been manufactured. China, Europe, Japan, Korea and Russia have completed their share.</div>

A major ITER procurement milestone is recorded in April 2016 by the European Domestic Agency, as contractors complete the first 110-tonne toroidal field winding pack. The winding pack, or inner core of the D-shaped toroidal field magnet, will now be cold tested at -200 °C/80 K before being inserted into a massive stainless steel case. The final toroidal field coil assembly will measure 9 x 17 metres and weigh 310 tonnes. Eighteen toroidal field magnets will surround the ITER vacuum chamber to confine the plasma particles away from the vessel walls.

<div>ITER's ring-like poloidal field coils are among the largest and heaviest components of the ITER machine. In addition to manufacturing coil #6, China<strong> </strong>is supplying the niobium-titanium superconductor necessary for the on-site manufacturing of coils #2 and #5. All conductor fabrication steps were completed during the second quarter of 2016.&nbsp; </div>

<div>In June 2016, during its Eighteenth Meeting, the ITER Council endorses the updated Integrated Project Schedule as the fastest technically achievable path to First Plasma (December 2025). The extension of this updated schedule, describing all activities through Deuterium-Tritium Operation, will be presented to the ITER Council in November 2016. </div>

<div>The central solenoid, a giant electromagnet that will act as&nbsp;the &quot;heartbeat&quot; of ITER, will consist of six stacked modules surrounded by a support structure.&nbsp;The US Domestic Agency&nbsp;completed the winding of&nbsp;the first module in June 2016. Each central solenoid module is fabricated from approximately 6,000 metres of niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) conductor, supplied to the US by Japan in seven spools.</div>

<div>In June 2016 the ITER Organization selects the&nbsp;contractor that will help to plan, manage and supervise on-site assembly and installation activities on site for the next ten years. The&nbsp; EUR 174 million Construction Management-as-Agent (CMA) contrat is awarded to the MOMENTUM consortium led by Amec Foster Wheeler (UK) in partnership with Assystem (France) and KEPCO Engineering and Construction (Korea).</div>

<div>During the assembly of the ITER machine, two overhead cranes will work in tandem in the Assembly Hall to lift and transport loads of up to 1,500 tonnes between the pre-assembly area and the Tokamak Pit. The principal pieces of equipment for the main cranes are installed by Europe in June 2016.</div>

<div>Nineteen scientists, nominated from prestigious fusion laboratories and universities in Europe, Russia and the United States, have become ITER Scientist Fellows. While remaining employed by their home institutes, they will spend up to one-third of their time in the next three years contributing&nbsp;expertise to ITER's high-priority research needs, particularly in the areas of simulation and theory.</div>

<div>On Thursday 8 September,&nbsp;welding operations begin on the ITER cryostat—the 29 x 29 metre stainless steel cryostat that surrounds the vacuum vessel and superconducting magnets to ensure a ultra-cool, vacuum environment. The welding of the cryostat base (one of four main segments) will take just over one year.</div>

<div>In 2016 the ITER Organization concludes its first technical cooperation agreement with a non-Member state. On 30 September, a Cooperation Agreement is signed with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), a national research organization representing the Australian nuclear fusion community. Cooperation is envisioned in a number of strategic areas, including diagnostics, materials, superconducting technology, and fusion plasma theory and modelling. </div>

<div>The full updated project schedule—describing all activities through First Plasma in 2025 and Deuterium-Tritium (D-T)&nbsp;Operation in 2035—is approved by the 19th ITER Council on 16-17 November 2016. The overall project cost is approved <em>ad referendum</em>, signifying that each Member will now seek approval of its share of project costs through respective governmental budget processes.</div>

<div>The jacketing of the 133rd —and last—unit length of toroidal field conductor is completed in December 2016. Six ITER Members (China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia and the US) have contributed to the procurement of 88 km of niobium-tin superconductor that is now being wound into ITER's toroidal field coils. </div>

<div>The D-shaped inner core of&nbsp;an ITER toroidal field coil (or &quot;winding pack&quot;)&nbsp;is produced in a multi-stage process that includes winding, insertion into radial plates, vacuum-pressure insulation, stacking,&nbsp;and&nbsp;testing. Japan, which is producing 9 of ITER's 19 toroidal field coils (18 plus one spare)&nbsp;completes its first toroidal field winding pack in January&nbsp;2017.&nbsp;The winding pack, after testing, will be inserted into a steel case.</div>

<div>As the needs of the construction site ramp up, the project will require more electricity than the neighbouring CEA network can supply. The power-up of the first transformer of the 400kV switchyard is successfully achieved&nbsp;in March 2017 to supply&nbsp;the 22kV network on site.</div>

<div>The ITER Organization signs the second non-Member technical Cooperation Agreement of its history on 11 June 2017 with the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Agreement opens the way to&nbsp;the exchange of&nbsp;technical experts, access to Kazakhstan's KTM tokamak for materials testing, and the development of diagnostics for ITER. (The first non-Member agreement was signed in September 2016 with Australia.)&nbsp;</div>

<div>Thousands of components will make up the ITER cryogenic and cryodistribution system that will provide cooling power to the magnets, the thermal shield and the cryopumps. The ITER Organization has begun equipping the on-site cryoplant, installing the first components—three large helium &quot;cold boxes&quot;—in late June.</div>

<div>Without minimizing the challenges that remain before completion of construction, the participants to the Twentieth Meeting of the ITER Council (IC-20, 21-22 June 2017) reaffirm their joint commitment to the mission and vision of the project. Strong progress—demonstrated through the rapid pace of on-site construction and the steady achievement of planned milestones—shows that the project remains on track to First Plasma in 2025.</div>

<div>The&nbsp;first of two vacuum vessel sector sub-assembly tools (SSAT)&nbsp;will be assembled at ITER from components shipped by Korea. These giant tools (22 m tall, 800 tonnes each) will suspend and equip the vacuum vessel sectors before their installation in the Tokamak Pit. The first crates arrive, on time, in June 2017. </div>

<div>The completion of the tall ITER Assembly Hall, with its two heavy-haul overhead cranes (1,500-tonne capacity) and its two smaller lift cranes is a&nbsp;major milestone for ITER construction. Part of the&nbsp;building&nbsp;is now accessible for installation&nbsp;activities.</div>

<div>The first segment of one of ITER's 31 magnet feeders has arrived from China and been delivered to the MIFI facility (Magnet Infrastructure Facilities for ITER)—a workshop operated by a joint team from ITER and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to develop and qualify the ITER magnet elements and their assembly procedures. Testing is underway.</div>

<div>At the Twenty-First Meeting of the ITER Council (IC-21, 15-16 November 2017) Member representatives evaluate&nbsp;a detailed set of reports and indicators covering both organizational and technical performance. Despite the extremely demanding construction and manufacturing schedule, and the challenging technical requirements of the ITER Tokamak and support systems, the ITER Project continues its strong performance, and remains on schedule for First Plasma 2025.</div>

<div>The ITER Organization and the ITER Domestic Agencies have completed 50 percent of the construction work scope through First Plasma. Total construction work scope in ITER Project performance metrics covers design,&nbsp;component&nbsp;manufacturing, building construction, shipping and delivery, and assembly and installation. The 50 percent mark was passed in November 2017.</div>

<div>Each&nbsp;vacuum vessel sector will be assembled from four segments (upper, lower, inner and outer). Korea, which is responsible for the manufacture of four sectors,&nbsp;completed the first segment of sector 6 during the last quarter of 2017, including all welding and dimension checks.</div>

<div>In January 2018, ITER Organization and the Principality of Monaco renew the 2008&nbsp;ITER-Monaco Partnership Arrangement that established two-year postdoctoral research fellowships at ITER. The Agreement is signed by his Excellency, the Minister of State Serge Telle, and the Director-General of the ITER Organization, Bernard Bigot, for a further ten years. Five Postdoctoral Fellows will be recruited for two-year positions in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2026 on the basis of this Arrangement.</div>

<div>At the PRIMA neutral beam test facility in Padua, Italy, the key technologies of ITER's powerful heating neutral beam&nbsp;system will be tested and qualified on two test beds. The ITER Organization and the European Domestic Agency for ITER begin integrated testing on the first of these, SPIDER (for Source for the Production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from a Radio frequency plasma) on time in March&nbsp;2018.</div>

On 17 April 2018, the ITER Organization and the Canadian Minister of International Trade sign a Memorandum of Understanding. To be explored in the future are the possibilities for technical cooperation with Canadian companies and universities, including Canadian fusion experts.

The negative ion source SPIDER is officially launched at the PRIMA Neutral Beam Test Facility in Padua, Italy, on 11 June 2018 with a short plasma-generating experiment. Experiments on SPIDER will demonstrate all relevant ITER negative ion source requirements, preparing the way for the operation of a full injector prototype (MITICA) and finally the installation of the neutral beam system on ITER.

<div>Eighteen chrome-plated spherical bearings, each weighing approximately 5 tonnes, will support the combined mass of the Tokamak and cryostat. These bearings—produced by an ITER Organization contractor in Europe—have passed all factory acceptance tests and are ready to be shipped for installation.</div>

<div>At the Twenty-Second Meeting of the ITER Council (IC-22, 20-21 June 2018) Council Members approve refinements to the construction strategy which will optimize the installation of components in the Tokamak Complex. With this strategy in place, the project is on track to achieve First Plasma in 2025 while adhering to overall project costs.</div>

<div>Access to the Tokamak assembly area depends on the maturity of Tokamak Building civil works. Europe completes an important milestone in the second quarter of 2018 by providing first limited access to the Tokamak Pit&nbsp;for&nbsp;installation activities.</div>

In respect of a 2018 ITER Council milestone, European contractors finalize the civil works of the concrete crown on the night of 28-29 August. This solid base ring and its 18 radial walls will support 23,000 tonnes of machine from below. Only one small opening has been reserved in the crown wall&nbsp;for the installation of the first feeder segment (see next milestone).

<div>Pace and performance are confirmed against the baseline by senior representatives from China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States during the 23rd Meeting of the&nbsp;ITER Council on 14-15 November. The project has completed nearly 60 percent of the work scope to First Plasma.</div>

<div>On 21 November, the ITER Organization concludes a Cooperation Agreement with the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) for the promotion of public understanding and acceptance of fusion energy.&nbsp;The Agreement&nbsp;provides for courses and lectures to young students and scientists in Thailand and facilitates visits to ITER by TINT scientists, young experts and students. (In the center of the photo, Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.)&nbsp;</div>

<div>An elbow-shaped segment&nbsp;of a magnet feeder for poloidal field coil #4 becomes the first machine component installed in the basement of the&nbsp;Tokamak Building. The positioning of the segment on the floor of the bioshield will allow the&nbsp;complete closure of the cryostat base support crown.</div>

<div>In a unanimous decision, the ITER Council votes to reappoint Bernard Bigot to a second five-year term as Director-General of the ITER Organization (March 2020-March 2025). Stakeholders welcome the announcement as a guarantee of continuity for the demanding days ahead.</div>

<div>Late in the first quarter of 2019,&nbsp;testing&nbsp;begins on the first 800-tonne handling tool of the Assembly Hall—sector sub-assembly tool #1. Precision testing followed by load testing are the final tool qualification activities, allowing operators to verify the tool's ability to accurately adjust the dummy load toroidally and to six degrees of freedom within tolerances of +/- 1 millimetre.</div>

<div>Half of the ITER cryostat is completed in 2019. Site acceptance tests take place on the lower cylinder in March and are planned on the base in July. In the on-site Cryostat Workshop, work is about to&nbsp;start to assemble&nbsp;the upper cylinder&nbsp;from steel segments shipped from India.</div>

<div>In June 2019, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the ITER Organization deepen longstanding cooperation through the signature of Practical Arrangements. Under the new Arrangements, the ITER Organization will share its experience related to nuclear fusion safety and radiation protection with the IAEA and its 171 Member States. The two organizations will also implement educational initiatives on plasma physics and fusion engineering; coordinate public outreach activities; and cooperate in knowledge management and human resources development.</div>

<div>The ITER Council meets for the twenty-fourth time since the signature of the ITER Agreement on 19-20 June 2019. The project continues to maintain a vigorous pace and robust performance, with the ITER Organization and Domestic Agencies working as an integrated One-ITER team to prepare for the challenges of the machine assembly phase, which begins next year.<br /></div>

<div>In July 2019, the ITER community celebrates the completion of the&nbsp;base and lower cylinder of the cryostat, which represent 60% of the work scope for this major ITER component.&nbsp;Present were representatives of all involved parties:&nbsp;the ITER Organization;&nbsp;ITER India, which is responsible for the procurement of the cryostat; industrial giant Larsen &amp; Toubro Ltd, in charge of forging and machining the elements of the cryostat at its Hazira facility and assembling them on site; and finally the German company MAN Energy Solutions, subcontractor to Larsen &amp; Toubro for on-site welding.</div>

<div>The ITER Organization and the Italian consortium Consorzio RFX sign a new agreement governing the construction and operation of the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility.&nbsp;In a first phase, testbed results will&nbsp;inform the procurement of components for the ITER system. After operation starts at ITER,&nbsp;by 2032, the facility in Padua, Italy, will be a testbed for ongoing performance enhancement.</div>

<div>Covering a surface area of approximately 10,000 m² and standing 25 metres at its tallest point, the&nbsp;thermal shielding around the vacuum vessel will minimize the&nbsp;heat loads transferred by thermal radiation and conduction. The first deliveries of vacuum vessel and cryostat&nbsp;thermal shielding manufactured in <strong>Korea&nbsp;</strong>(pictured in grey)&nbsp;reached&nbsp;ITER in October as scheduled.</div>

<div>On 7 November 2019, the last concrete plot of the Tokamak Building is poured by the VFR consortium, contractor to the European Domestic Agency (Fusion for Energy)&nbsp;for construction of the main buildings on site. This completes work on the seven-level concrete structure that will house the ITER machine. The news is announced by ITER Organization, Fusion for Energy, and Vinci Construction (leader of the VFR consortium).</div>

<div>On 20-21 November 2019, the ITER Council meets for the twenty-fifth time since the signature of the ITER Agreement. The project is &quot;on the path to success&quot; thanks to the &quot;One-ITER Team&quot; and its &quot;commitment to effective collaboration.&quot; This was the last ITER Council before the start of machine assembly (March 2020). </div>

<div>In addition to&nbsp;delivering the six superconducting modules of the central solenoid magnet, the <strong>United States</strong> is&nbsp;responsible for&nbsp;the specialized tooling required to build the final assembly (tools to&nbsp;lift, handle, stack&nbsp;and&nbsp;pre-compress&nbsp;the structure as well as attach feeder joints, etc.).&nbsp;One tool, the lifting fixture for the central solenoid (pictured)&nbsp;passed its factory acceptance testing late in 2019.</div>

<div>The first&nbsp;toroidal field coil of the ITER&nbsp;procurement program has been&nbsp;completed in <strong>Japan</strong> and is expected on site in May 2020.&nbsp;Weighing 360 tonnes, and measuring 9 x 17 metres, the toroidal field coils are among the largest components of the ITER machine. Nine will&nbsp;be produced in Japan and ten in Europe (18 machine coils and one spare).&nbsp;</div>

<div>Crane access over the Tokamak pit becomes possible on 28 <strong>March 2020</strong>, as the ITER Organization, the European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy, and contractors validate the full crane path—from the Assembly Hall through the entire length of the Tokamak Building—under load. Machine assembly can begin.</div>

The European Domestic Agency delivers its first 360-tonne toroidal field coil (TF9) to the ITER site on <strong>17 April 2020</strong>. Europe is working with the&nbsp;ASG (winding pack) and SIMIC-CNIM (insertion and cold testing) consortia for the production of 10 coils in total.

<div>The first&nbsp;vacuum vessel sector (VV#6), measuring over 14 metres in height and weighing 440 tonnes,&nbsp;has been completed in <strong>Korea</strong>. Nine sectors in all,&nbsp;supported by the overhead in-pit assembly tool, will be aligned and welded together in the Tokamak assembly pit. Fifty-three port structures will&nbsp;also be welded into place during the assembly of the vacuum vessel. <strong>VV#6 is expected at ITER in July 2020</strong>.</div>

<div>The Japanese Domestic Agency delivers its first&nbsp;360-tonne toroidal field coil to the ITER site on <strong>25 April 2020</strong>. Eight others are currently in production. The ITER coils are among the largest superconducting magnets ever built and represent,&nbsp;for each contributing Domestic Agency,&nbsp;more than&nbsp;10 years of effort.</div>

<div>On 26 May 2020, the 1,250-tonne cryostat base&nbsp;becomes the first large-scale component to be transferred by overhead crane to the&nbsp;Tokamak Pit, and lowered to the bottom. The operation goes off without a hitch. <strong>ITER machine assembly has begun.</strong></div>

<div>On&nbsp;17-18 June 2020, the Twenty-Sixth&nbsp;ITER Council (IC-26) meets to assess the latest progress reports and project performance metrics, including preliminary assessments of the impacts of the pandemic on project progress. Despite these impacts, the project has so far largely managed to continue its vigorous pace and robust performance with respect to critical activities, both at the ITER worksite in Provence and in manufacturing centres in Member countries. Project execution toward First Plasma nears 70%.</div>

<div>Poloidal field coil #6 (PF6) may only measure 10 metres in diameter (compared to the 24 metres of PF3 and PF4), but it is the heaviest of ITER's six ring-shaped magnets (400 tonnes) due to a higher number of stacked pancakes, a greater number of coil turns,&nbsp;and exceptionally heavy clamps. <strong>The coil was delivered by the European Domestic Agency in&nbsp;June 2020.</strong></div>

<p>Nearly 25 tonnes of liquid helium at <em>minus</em> 269 °C will circulate in the ITER installation&#160;to reach the top clients for cryogenic power—the 10,000 tonnes of superconducting magnets, and the cryosorption panels that ensure high-quality vacuum to the&#160;cryostat&#160;and the vacuum vessel. Pre-commissioning activities have begun in the&#160;on-site liquid helium cryogenic plant.</p>

<div>Japan delivers a second&nbsp;toroidal field coil, TF13, to the ITER site on <strong>3 July 2020</strong>. The first two Japanese coils, TF12 and TF13, will be associated with vacuum vessel sector #6 (from Korea) to form the first major sub-assembly of the ITER vacuum vessel.</div>

The last step in the manufacturing of ITER's ring-shaped poloidal field coils is cold testing at 80 K, a process that reproduces the thermal stresses that will be experienced during ITER operation. <strong>Europe</strong> began&nbsp;cold testing the first poloidal field magnet—PF6—in an on-site facility early in the&nbsp;<strong>third quarter of 2020</strong>.

<div>High-level representatives from all of the ITER Members join (virtually) in ITER's start-of-assembly ceremony on 28 July 2020, hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France—each one saluting the many achievements, small and large, that have brought the project to this decisive new phase and the one-ITER team that, together, is greater than the sum of its parts. </div>

<div>The Korean Domestic Agency delivers the first vacuum vessel sector of the ITER program—VV#6—on <strong>7 August 2020</strong>. This complex 440-tonne steel component is one of nine that will form the torus-shaped ITER vacuum vessel. Korea is manufacturing four sectors; Europe is responsible for the other five. This first-of-a-kind item required 10 years to plan, prototype, manufacture and test.</div>

On 31 August 2020, the 375-tonne cryostat lower cylinder becomes the second large-scale component to be transferred by overhead crane to the Tokamak Pit, and lowered to the bottom. Approximately four months of welding (including testing) will be required to attach the lower cylinder to the cryostat base.

<div>The European Domestic Agency delivers its second 360-tonne toroidal field coil (TF11) to the ITER site on <strong>4 September 2020</strong>. Eight more are in production at&nbsp;ASG (winding pack) and SIMIC-CNIM (insertion and cold testing).</div>

<div>When they arrive on site, each 40° vacuum vessel sector must be pre-assembled with a pair of toroidal field coils and thermal shielding. Two tools in the Assembly Hall designed for this activity—the vacuum vessel sub-assembly tools (SSAT)—will enter into action in the <strong>second half of&nbsp;2020</strong>.</div>

<p>On <strong>17 September 2020</strong> the chiller plant in the Site Services Building is turned over to the ITER Science, Controls &amp; Operation Department (SCOD). Now, a commissioning team led by SCOD will start to energize the equipment, fill the pipes, and test the circuits and related control interfaces.&#160;</p> <div>&#160;</div>

<p>A Cooperation Agreement is concluded on <strong>15 October 2020</strong> by Bernard Bigot, on behalf of the ITER Organization, and Assistant Deputy Minister Dan Costello, on behalf of the Canadian government. The Agreement sets out the terms of cooperation for the transfer of Canadian-supplied nuclear material (tritium), and tritium-related equipment and technology.&#160;</p>

<p>The 27th ITER Council is convened (virtually) from <strong>18 to 19 November 2020</strong> by Council Chair LUO Delong. Members note the continued robust performance of the ITER Project—including component deliveries and assembly progress on site—despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Some impacts on the schedule have been identified and will be thoroughly assessed after the consideration of all mitigation measures.</p>

The European Domestic Agency delivers a 360-tonne toroidal field coil (TF5) to the ITER site on 18 December 2020. This is the third toroidal field coil out of ten expected from Europe (and the fifth received by ITER overall).

<p>On <strong>14 January 2021</strong>, the ITER assembly and construction teams successfully insert the cylindrical lower cryostat thermal shield into the Tokamak pit. Its silver-coated panels are designed to minimize the radiation heat load that will reach the magnets operating at 4.5 K.</p>

<p>Japan delivers a third toroidal field coil, TF8, to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>12 March 2021</strong>. This is the sixth toroidal field coil overall received by the ITER Organization (out of 19).</p>

<p>The first vacuum vessel sector received by the ITER Organization (sector #6, from Korea) is upended (photo) and installed in a vertical position on one of the giant sub-assembly tools in the Assembly Hall in&#160;<strong>March 2021</strong>. There, the sector will be assembled with thermal shielding and a pair of toroidal field coils before the sub-assembly, now weighing nearly 1,200 tonnes, is transported into the Tokamak pit.</p>

<p>It took approximately five months for contractors to the Indian Domestic Agency to fully weld the cryostat lower cylinder to the cryostat base and complete inspection and testing. Distortion was closely monitored using 50 metrology targets distributed on the inner surface of the components and confirmed that all tolerances were respected. The full operation was completed in late March&#160;2021.&#160;</p>

<p>The ITER Organization assembly teams install the first superconducting magnet in the Tokamak pit on 21 April 2021. Poloidal field coil #6 was more than seven years in the making—procured by the European Domestic Agency, manufactured by the&#160;Institute of Plasma Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and tested in the European winding facility on the ITER site.</p>

<p>The European Domestic Agency delivers a 360-tonne toroidal field coil (TF3) to the ITER site on <strong>7 May 2021</strong>. This is the fourth toroidal field coil out of ten expected from Europe (and the seventh received by ITER overall).</p>

<div>The first central solenoid module—a 110-tonne electromagnet that will be stacked with five others to form the ITER central solenoid—has shipped out of the General Atomics facility in Poway, California, USA. It is travelling by land to Houston, Texas, and then by ship to the port of Marseille, France. It is expected at ITER in September 2021.</div>

<p>The 28th ITER Council convenes (virtually) on 16-17 June 2021 under the chairmanship of LUO Delong from China. The project is maintaining steady progress in machine and plant assembly despite unprecedented pressure due to the pandemic and the difficulties encountered in manufacturing some of ITER's First-of-a-Kind components.</p>

<p>Vacuum vessel sector #1 from Korea reaches the ITER site on <strong>27 August 2021</strong>.<strong>&#160;</strong>(This sector will be inserted in position 7 in the assembly pit, and is officially referred to as sector #1(7)). This will be the second of nine 440-tonne sectors to enter the sub-assembly process at ITER, during which a sector is mounted on specialized tooling in the Assembly Hall to be associated with thermal shielding and a pair of toroidal field coils. The lowering of this second sector sub-assembly into the Tokamak pit is planned for the first semester of 2022.</p>

<p>The European Domestic Agency delivers a 360-tonne toroidal field coil (TF6) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>3 September 2021</strong>. This is the fifth toroidal field coil out of ten expected from Europe (and the eighth received by ITER overall).</p>

<p>The "backbone" of the ITER magnet system, the central solenoid, will be assembled&#160;from six independent coil packs ("modules") stacked in an 18-metre-tall structure. The first central solenoid module is delivered by the United States on <strong>9 September 2021</strong>.</p>

<p>On <strong>15 September 2021</strong>, the ITER Organization assembly teams install a second superconducting magnet in the Tokamak pit. Poloidal field coil #5&#160;(PF5)—a nearly 350-tonne coil made from 11.5 kilometres of niobium-titanium conductor—is the first ring-shaped magnet produced by the European Domestic Agency in its on-site winding facility. Coil qualification, fabrication and testing required approximately 5 years.</p>

<p>The second of seven central solenoid modules is delivered by US ITER on <strong>14 October 2021</strong>. The central magnet of the ITER machine will be assembled from six modules; the seventh is a spare.</p>

<p>A 4-tonne bottom correction coil is inserted into the Tokamak pit on <strong>21 October 2021</strong>. Five others will complete the set at the bottom of the machine. Eighteen correction coils in ITER will correct, or reduce, unwanted field perturbations that can affect plasma stability and confinement.</p>

<p>In November 2021, the ITER Organization and a group of international partners launch INFUSED—the International Fusion Education Initiative. The program curates quality fusion education materials and makes them available to interested students, educators and members of the public. The goal? To inspire young people from every nation to join the fusion quest. Visit INFUSED <a href="https&#58;//www.iter.org/education/infused">here</a>.</p&gt;

<p>Fusion enters the diplomatic Blue Zone of a United Nations Climate Change Conference for the first time with a one-hour panel &quot;Looking to the Future with Fusion Energy&quot; at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. The message from scientists and engineers from the fusion energy community to world leaders is&#58; &quot;Fusion energy promises a step change in the way the world's future energy demands are met in a low-carbon, safe and sustainable way.&quot;</p>

<p>The 29th ITER Council convenes (virtually) on 17-18 November 2021 under the chairmanship of LUO Delong from China. The project has continued to progress, with respect to both Members' best efforts for delivery of components and worksite installation and assembly activities, despite challenges including COVID-19.</p>

<p>Japan delivers a fourth toroidal field coil, TF10, to the ITER site on <strong>19 November 2021</strong>. This is the ninth toroidal field coil overall received by the ITER Organization (out of 19). Three others are scheduled to arrive before the end of the year.</p>

<p>Japan delivers a fifth toroidal field coil, TF2, to the ITER site on <strong>27 November 2021</strong>. This is the tenth toroidal field coil overall received by the ITER Organization (out of 19).</p>

<p>Poloidal field coil #2 (PF2) is removed from the winding facility after its completion and moved into storage on <strong>17 December 2021</strong>. PF2 is the second ring magnet to be produced by the European Domestic Agency on site and the third ring magnet to be delivered by Europe after PF6 (manufactured in China) and PF5 (already installed in the machine well).</p>

<p>The European Domestic Agency delivers its sixth toroidal field coil (TF4) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>17 December 2021</strong>. Only four more are expected from Europe.</p>

<p>The EUROfusion team has achieved a first-ever sustained, high-confinement plasma on the JET tokamak using the same wall materials and fuel mix that ITER will use. The results confirm that sustained high-fusion energy production is achievable using the D-T fuel mix planned on ITER and future devices; they also show that the fusion community has the capability to model what will happen in a fusion reactor.</p>

<p>The Japanese Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #16 (TF16) to the ITER site on <strong>18 March 2022</strong>. This is the twelfth D-shaped coil to be delivered to ITER (out of 19).</p>

<p><strong>India</strong>&#160;completes the last of four cryostat sections—the top lid, 665 tonnes—in its on-site Cryostat Workshop in&#160;<strong>March 2022</strong>, marking&#160;the end of six years of cryostat welding activities. The workshop space will now be opened for use by other assembly teams.</p> <p>&#160;</p>

<div>The smallest of ITER's ring magnets—poloidal field coil #1 (seen as PF01 in the drawing)—will measure 9 metres in diameter and weigh just under 200 tonnes. <strong>Russia</strong>&#160;completed all factory acceptance testing on the completed coil in <strong>March 2022</strong>, including a high-voltage test and a Paschen test. The shipment of the coil to ITER is expected in&#160;June 2022.</div>

<p>After sectors #6 in 2020 and #1(7) in 2021, Korea delivers vacuum vessel sector #8 to the ITER Project in southern France on <strong>1 April 2022</strong>.&#160;This will be the third 440-tonne sector to enter the sub-assembly process at ITER, during which a sector is mounted on specialized tooling in the Assembly Hall to be associated with thermal shielding and a pair of toroidal field coils.&#160;</p>

<p>The European Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #17&#160; (TF17) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>6 May 2022</strong>. This is the seventh of ten D-shaped vertical coils expected from Europe.</p>

<div>The first vacuum vessel sub-assembly (one sector, plus associated thermal shield panels and two toroidal field coils) is lifted off of the specialized tool structures in the Assembly Hall and lowered into the Tokamak pit in <strong>May 2022</strong>.&#160;</div>

<p>The ITER Organization loses its Director-General, Bernard Bigot, to illness on 14 May 2022. An inspirational leader for more than four decades across multiple fields of science and energy, his personal dedication and commitment to ITER over the past seven years shaped every aspect of the project. While his untimely passing will be felt as a tragic blow to the global fusion community, Dr Bigot's careful design and preparation of the ITER senior management team in recent years gives reassurance of the project's continued success.</p>

<p>After two years of virtual meetings, ITER Member delegations are able to gather once again at Headquarters for the 30th ITER Council, held from 15 to 16 June 2022 under the chairmanship of Massimo Garribba (Europe). Delegates regretted the untimely passing of former Director-General Bernard Bigot and commended the One-ITER team for continued strong performance and collaboration during the challenging transitional period. Project re-baselining is underway, aiming at approval of an Updated Baseline in 2023, taking into account the effects of technical challenges and the pandemic.&#160;</p>

<p>The European Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #14&#160; (TF14) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>8 July 2022</strong>. This is the eighth of ten D-shaped vertical coils expected from Europe.</p>

<p>On 15 September 2022 at an Extraordinary Meeting in Paris, France, the ITER Council names Pietro Barabaschi as the new ITER Organization Director-General. Mr Barabaschi has been the Head of the Broader Approach Programme and Delivery for the European Union organization responsible for Europe's contribution to ITER, Fusion for Energy, since 2009. He is expected to begin his appointment in October 2022. (See the press release at https&#58;//www.iter.org/news/pressreleases) © F4E</p>

<p>The ITER Members convene in person at ITER Headquarters, or by video link, for the 31st Meeting of the ITER Council on 16 and 17 November 2022. As construction progress continues both on site and at the ITER Members, the Council took note of a number of concerns related to delivered first-of-a-kind components and corresponding corrective plans. Members also reaffirmed their strong belief in the value of the ITER mission, and resolved to work together to find timely solutions to facilitate ITER's success.</p>

<p>The Japanese Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #15 (TF15) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>13 January 2023</strong>. This is the fifteenth D-shaped coil to be delivered to ITER (out of 19). © Jean-Marie Hosatte - REA</p>

<p>The European Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #1&#160; (TF01) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>20 January 2023</strong>. This is the penultimate D-shaped vertical coil expected from the European Domestic Agency.</p>

<p>On Friday <strong>10 February 2023</strong>, poloidal field coil PF1 from Russia is delivered to the ITER site. This 160-tonne, 9-metre-in-diameter magnet will be the top ring magnet of the ITER machine, installed after the completion of the vacuum vessel.</p>

<p>The WEST tokamak team has completed a 14-week experimental campaign with a full ITER-like tungsten divertor. Lessons learned—both from the manufacturing of the tungsten divertor components and from the experimental campaign—will help to optimize the lifespan of the divertor at ITER.</p>

<p>During its June 2023 meeting, the ITER Council focuses much of its discussions on efforts underway to establish an optimized, reliable cost and schedule baseline that addresses past challenges and considers strategies to offset future risks. Council Members reaffirm their strong belief in the value of the ITER mission and resolve to work together to find timely solutions to facilitate ITER's success.</p>

<p>The third of seven central solenoid modules is delivered by US ITER on <strong>20 July 2023</strong>. The central magnet of the ITER machine will be assembled from six modules; the seventh is a spare.</p>

<p>The Japanese Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #07 (TF07) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>28 July 2023</strong>. This is the eighth (and last) regular toroidal field coil expected from Japan. (A ninth will be delivered as a spare).</p>

<p>Poloidal field coil #4 (PF4) is removed from the winding facility after its completion and moved into storage on&#160;<strong>8 August 2023</strong>. PF4 is the third ring magnet to be produced by the European Domestic Agency on site and the fourth ring magnet to be delivered by Europe after PF6 (manufactured in China), PF5, and PF2.</p>

<p>European contractors have finished the full scope of civil engineering works in the Tokamak Building under TB03—a contract signed between the European Domestic Agency and the VFR consortium (Vinci, Ferrovial, Razel-Bec). Ten years and millions of work hours were required.</p>

<p>The Japanese Domestic Agency delivers toroidal field coil #19 (TF19) to the ITER site on&#160;<strong>10 November 2023</strong>. This is the ninth (and last) toroidal field coil expected from Japan, concluding a ten-year industrial adventure.</p>

<p>The ITER Members convene in person at ITER Headquarters for the 33rd Meeting of the ITER Council on 16 and 17 November 2023.&#160;The Council noted the progress achieved on repairs to key components; ongoing manufacturing, assembly, and installation achievements; and the&#160;constructive dialogue underway with the French Nuclear Safety Authority ASN.&#160;The ITER Organization and Domestic Agencies are advancing their collaboration toward the development of an optimized, reliable cost and schedule baseline for presentation to the ITER Council in 2024.</p>

In its final deuterium-tritium experimental campaign, Europe's JET tokamak device demonstrated plasma scenarios that are expected on ITER and future fusion power plants, offering critical insights into key aspects such as heat exhaust, managing fuel retention, and the effect of fusion neutrons on cooling systems and electronics. JET celebrated its 40th anniversary in June 2023 and ceased operations at the end of 2023. One final fusion energy record—69.26 megajoules of heat released during a single pulse in October—was achieved. 

<p>Europe and Japan's JT-60SA tokamak, located in Naka, Japan, is inaugurated on 1 December 2023 in the presence of&#160;EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, Japan's MEXT Minister Masahito Moriyama and Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Sanae Takaichi, senior politicians, and representatives from industry and the research community. JT-60SA is the largest operating tokamak in the world,&#160;designed to support the operation of ITER and to investigate how best to optimize the design and operation of fusion power plants built after ITER.</p>

The last toroidal field coil required by the ITER device, TF18, is delivered by Europe on 15 December 2023. This concludes one of the lengthiest and most complex procurement efforts of the ITER Project. Nineteen coils in all (18 for the machine plus one spare) were delivered by Europe and Japan between 2020 and 2023.

The United States Domestic Agency delivers a 110-tonne central solenoid magnet on 22 December 2023—the fourth of its kind to reach ITER. Six modules are required to build the central solenoid tower; a seventh will be delivered as a spare.

<p>Poloidal field coil #3 (PF3) is removed from the winding facility after its completion and moved into storage on <strong>30 April 2024</strong>. PF3 is the final ring magnet of the program, and the fifth to be delivered by the European Domestic Agency. The poloidal field coils manufacturing facility will be converted for use by the ITER Organization machine assembly teams.</p>

From 27 to 29 May 2024, the Inaugural Private-Public Fusion Workshop at the ITER site in France brings together close to 50 CEOs and senior scientists from private fusion startups, along with industry suppliers and representatives from public laboratories, the ITER Domestic Agencies, and the ITER Organization—in all, approximately 350 stakeholders seeking to accelerate the advent of fusion energy and asking: "How can ITER help?" The workshop lays the groundwork for providing vast amounts of ITER research and expertise to fusion companies.

Meeting on 19 and 20 June 2024, members of the ITER Council receive a proposed update of the project baseline. The proposal designs a path to a scientifically and technically robust initial phase of operations, including deuterium-deuterium fusion operation in 2035 followed by full magnetic energy and plasma current operation.

All 19 D-shaped toroidal field coils have been manufactured and delivered. A ceremony is held on 3 July 2024 on site to celebrate the completion of this 10+ year procurement program.

The JT-60SA tokamak in Naka, Japan—a joint Europe/Japan fusion experiment—achieves a Guinness World Record for plasma volume with a plasma certified at 160 m³. Before JT-60SA, the largest plasmas were acheived in the European JET tokamak (~100 m³).

Twenty years after the first document was uploaded into IDM (ITER's document management system), the ITER community celebrates "a remarkable success story." The system was built in-house for document upload and transfer from ITER partners around the world at a time when few commercial solutions existed. AI is helping to keep the system relevant today.

The European Domestic Agency delivers the first of five ITER vacuum vessel sectors to the project on 25 October 2024. It took three weeks for sector #5 (in its protective housing, left) to travel from its manufacturing site in Monfalcone, Italy, to ITER.

On 1 November 2024, ITER formally launches its new project for Private Sector Fusion Engagement (PSFE). A help desk has been established to serve as the central coordination point for requests to access ITER documents, connections to ITER experts, and technical questions. The first exchanges with private sector startups have taken place. Contact psfe @ iter.org (no spaces).

The Korean Domestic Agency delivers vacuum vessel sector #1 to the project on 8 November 2024. This is the last of four sectors expected from Korea which, since August 2020, has delivered sectors #6, #7, #8 and #1.

The Thirty-Fifth Meeting of the ITER Council concludes on 21 November 2024. The official delegations of the ITER Members endorse the overall approach proposed for the new project baseline (Baseline 2024), while requesting continued efforts to reduce risks and optimize costs. They also commend the ITER Organization and Domestic Agencies for strong project execution in 2024.

History is made as two heads of state—French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—visit ITER together on 12 February 2025.

The United States Domestic Agency, US ITER, has completed delivery of all components for the support structure of the central solenoid - some 9,000 individual parts in all. The role of the structure is to hold the six central solenoid modules in position within strict tolerances measured in millimetres and withstand the levels of extreme force that the central solenoid will generate.

Sector module #7 is installed in the tokamak assembly pit three weeks ahead of schedule on 10 April 2025. It is the first of the nine “building blocks” that, once assembled and welded, will form the doughnut-shaped ITER plasma chamber. With sector module #7 now installed and sector module #6 scheduled to follow in July, the project has exceeded the schedule performance targets defined in the 2024 Baseline.

The ITER Organization hosts the 2d ITER Private Sector Fusion Workshop on 22 and 23 April 2025—an initiative designed to serve the priorities of private sector fusion projects globally and to facilitate public-private knowledge transfer and collaboration. In the 11 months since the first workshop in May 2024, ITER has rolled out concrete mechanisms for knowledge sharing through its dedicated Private Sector Fusion Engagement (PSFE) portal. Contact the PSFE help desk at psfe@iter.org.

The European Domestic Agency delivers vacuum vessel sector #4 on 9 May 2025 (the sector is pictured here in its protective housing, parked on the ITER site in front of a cocooned section of the ITER cryostat). Six sectors are now on site at ITER; three more are expected from Europe by 2026.