FPN08-33

ITER Update

July 6, 2008

The ITER Council has approved changes to the ITER design proposed by the ITER Organization and a slippage to the schedule of 2 years. Completion of construction is now targeted for 2018. The design changes and schedule slippage, along with inflationary costs of some raw materials, is projected to increase the ITER cost estimate (termed "resource estimate" by the ITER Organization). The Council ordered an independent review of the resource estimates by an international committee to be chaired by Dr. Frank Briscoe of the European Union. The U.S. had previously announced that it expected the cost of its ITER contribution would increase by at least 30 percent, to at least $1.45 billion.

The U.S. Congress has passed a Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding bill that will provide an additional $15.5 million to maintain the U.S ITER team.This will bring the total U.S. FY 2008 ITER funding to $26.2 M. The President has asked for $214 M for ITER in FY 2009, which begins October 1, 2008. It is widely expected, however, that Congress will not pass a FY 2009 appropriation bill until after the November election, and possibly not until early in 2009.

The ITER Organization has signed a 6.5 million Euro contract (the largest so far) with Jacobs Engineering UK Limited for Preliminary Architect and Engineering Design of the ITER facility buildings and site infrastructure. A separate "tender" is planned later this year for detailed design.

The ITER Council has "approved the conditions for accession of an eighth state" (Kazakhstan) to join the current seven ITER Parties in the ITER project and "also approved the start of formal interactions" with Kazakhstan. All of the current seven ITER Parties must approve any final action on the application.