ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

On 18 and 19 June 2014, the governing body of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization convened in St. Paul-lez Durance, France. This two-day meeting brought together senior representatives from all seven ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States—under the chairmanship of Robert Iotti (US).

The Council noted the progress of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ construction: since the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Council in November 2013 the basemat under the Diagnostics Building has been completed; the steel reinforcement for the Tokamak Building slab is nearly completed; the site workshop for the cryostat has been completed; and the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Headquarters extension will be ready for occupation in October 2014. The main buildings and site infrastructure contracts are now in place and before the end of the year work will start on the walls of the Assembly and Site Services buildings. A 10,000m² storage warehouse is planned for the arrival of major components. 

All seven Members reported progress in the manufacturing of key components including superconducting coils, the vacuum vessel and the cryostat. The Members discussed the current status of their activities and procurements and the need to finalize an updated schedule. The Council stressed that further effort must be made to stem schedule slippage and directed that the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization and the Members take necessary measures. 

The Council reviewed implementation of the action plan by the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization to improve the management of the project. The Council also stressed the importance of closer collaboration between the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ 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. 

BACKGROUND TO THE PRESS RELEASE 

ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ—designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power—will be the world's largest experimental fusion facility. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars: when light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a safe, abundant and environmentally responsible energy source. 

ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ is also a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. Europe will contribute almost half of the costs of its construction, while the other six Members to this joint international venture (China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA), will contribute equally to the rest. The ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Project is under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, in the south of France. 

More information on the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Project can be found at:

Photos of the Fourteenth ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Council can be found at this .

CONTACT

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