In a letter transmitting the Panel's preliminary report (the final report is due in March 2003) to Raymond Orbach, Director, DOE Office of Science, FESAC chair Richard Hazeltine (University of Texas) said that the Panel's report "has the unanimous, unqualified endorsement of FESAC." In particular, Hazeltine said the following statement from the report's Executive Summary "summarizes accurately the perspective of FESAC."

"Dramatic scientific and technological advances have been achieved over the last decade, from the understanding and control of turbulence in magnetically confined plasmas to the demonstration of the positive impact of improved symmetry control in inertial confinement. This strengthened scientific understanding of fusion systems, bolstered by the application of advanced computing, provides enhanced confidence that practical fusion systems can be realized. Increased concern about the impact of human activity on the global ecosystem points to the need for new broadly available, non-polluting energy sources such as fusion. In addition, escalating international tensions underscore the importance of long-term national energy security. A commitment now to expend the additional resources to develop fusion energy within 35 years is timely and appropriate."

The Panel's report outlines the general features of a fusion power development plan in terms of a set of "overlapping scientific and technological challenges (that) define the sequence of major facilities needed in the fusion development path," supported by "programs in theory and simulation, basic plasma science, concept exploration and proof of principle experiments, materials development and plasma and fusion technologies." The "challenges" are in the areas of configuration optimization, burning plasma, materials testing, component testing, and demonstration.

The Panel concluded that "the plan illustrated here can lead to the operation of a demonstration fusion power plant in about 35 years and enable the commercialization of fusion power."

The full report of the Panel and the FESAC covering letter will be posted shortly at http://fire.pppl.gov and at http://ofes.doe.gov/FusionDocs.html or can be requested as an email attachment from Fusion Power Associates (fpa@compuserve.com).