FPN03-06

U.S. Rejoins ITER Project

January 30, 2003

The United States will rejoin the ITER project, from which it withdrew in 1998. ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is designed to produce about 500 Megawatts of thermal fusion power in pulses lasting about 10 minutes, with the potential for later upgrades to continuous power production. The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham in a speech January 30 at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Sites for the project have been formally offered by Canada, France, Japan and Spain. Negotiations among the European Union, Japan, Russia and Canada have been underway on site selection, financial and legal arrangements for the implementation of the international venture. The U.S. and China are expected to join the negotiations in mid February.

Secretary Abraham said that President Bush has decided that the U.S. will join the negotiations for the construction and operation of the major international magnetic fusion research project known as ITER. "The President," he said, "has made a historic decision to take a major step toward realizing the promise of fusion energy." He said, "This international fusion project is a major step towards a fusion demonstration power plant that could usher in commercial fusion energy." A DOE press release accompanying the Secretary's remarks states "The U.S. share of the (estimated $5 billion) construction cost is expected to be about 10 percent of the total." ITER construction, if approved and funded by all the governments, is expected to commence in 2006 and begin operation in 2014.

"But," Abraham said, "let me be clear, our decision to join ITER in no way means a lesser role for the fusion programs we undertake here at home. It is imperative that we maintain and enhance our strong domestic research program -- at Princeton, at the universities and at our other labs. Critical science needs to be done in the U.S., in parallel with ITER, to strengthen our competitive position in fusion technology."

The full text of the Secretary's remarks will be posted at http://fire.pppl.gov and at http://www.energy.gov/HQDocs/speeches/hqspeeches.html