FPN06-28

ITER Project Manager Named

April 1, 2006

At a meeting in Tokyo on 1 April, the chief ITER negotiators from the seven international parties (European Union, India, Japan, Korea, China, Russia and USA), identified the top management team that will manage this major international fusion energy research project. The representatives of the seven parties also endorsed the results of the negotiations on the international agreement that will govern the project, which will now be passed to ministerial level for its initialling. That meeting will be held 24 May in Brussels and will be hosted by Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research.

The parties to ITER accepted the European Union's proposal to designate Dr Norbert Holtkamp as nominee Principal Deputy Director-General and Project Construction Leader of the prospective ITER Organization. Dr Holtkamp is currently director of the Accelerator Systems Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee (USA). With the previous appointment of Kaname Ikeda as nominee Director-General in November 2005, the top management team of the prospective ITER Organization is now complete.

In an announcement following the Tokyo meeting, the ITER parties stated that "the ITER Project is well on the way to becoming a reality with construction due to start soon at the agreed site of Cadarache in Southern France. The top management team will now press forward with building the international ITER Team," the announcement said. Nominee Director General Ikeda has already taken up residence in Caderache.