FPN02-57

FESAC Advises U.S. Rejoin ITER

September 11, 2002

The U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC), at its meeting September 11, has accepted a report from its Panel on A Burning Plasma Program Strategy to Advance Fusion Energy, that recommends "we should now seek to join the ITER negotiations with the aim of becoming a partner in the undertaking . . . ." The Panel, chaired by Prof. Stewart Prager, University of Wisconsin, said "The desired role is that the U.S. participates as a partner in the full range of activities, including full participation in the governance of the project and the program." The Panel opined this "will likely require additional funding of approximately $100M/yr."

The FESAC, chaired by Prof. Richard Hazeltine, University of Texas, transmitted the report to Dr. Raymond Orbach, DOE Office of Science Director. Orbach attended the meeting and seemed generally pleased with the recommendation. However, he urged the FESAC to address the issue of what would be required for a fusion energy development program aimed at "putting electricity on the grid."

The FESAC panel built on discussions at the 2002 Fusion Summer Study (FPN02-48). That study reviewed the technical aspects of three approaches to the study of burning plasmas: ITER, FIRE and Ignitor. The FESAC panel said that "ITER and FIRE are each attractive options for the study of burning plasma science. Each could serve as the primary burning plasma facility, although they lead to different fusion energy development paths." The panel recommended that the FIRE option be maintained until the fate of ITER had been determined, but set a time limit of two years for that process to reach a conclusion. They said, "If ITER does not move forward (by July 2004), then FIRE should be advanced as a U.S.-based burning plasma experiment with strong encouragement of international participation." The panel also said, "If Ignitor is constructed in Italy, then the U.S. should collaborate in the program by research participation and contributions of related equipment, as it does with other major international facilities."

The panel also noted, "A strong core science and technology program is essential to the success of the burning plasma effort, as well as the overall development of fusion energy. Hence, this core program should be increased in parallel with the burning plasma initiative."

Several times during the FESAC meeting it was noted that an unusual degree of consensus had been reached within the U.S. fusion community on these issues, as represented by the participation of about 250 scientists at the Summer Study and over 40 members of the FESAC panel.

The full panel report has been posted at http://fire.pppl.gov