FPN03-80

ITER Site Decision Delayed

December 23, 2003

Government officials from the European Union, Russia, Japan, United States, China and Republic of Korea, met December 20 in Washington, DC, with hopes of selecting a site for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, but the "ministerial level" delegates postponed the decision until February 2004.

Officially the delegates stated that both the European site in France and the Japanese site were "excellent" and that more information would be sought before a site was chosen

Unofficial reports from the meeting indicated that the six parties were split down the middle, with Europe, Russia and China favoring the European site, while Japan, the US and Korea favored the Japanese site. One news report indicated that Korea moved to a neutral position during the day-long meeting.

The Official communique and other reports on the meeting are posted at http://fire.pppl.gov