October 1, 1997

The panel recommended across the board increases for most energy R&D programs, including fusion, over the next five years. The panel said these increases were necessary "to close the gap between the current energy R&D program and the one that the challenges require."

For fusion, the panel recommended gradual increases from the present $232 million level to a level of $328 million in 2003. They said, "Our Panel reaffirms support also for the specific elements of the 1995 PCAST recommendation that the program's budget-constrained strategy be around three key principles: (1) a strong domestic core program in plasma science and fusion technology; (2) a collaboratively funded international fusion experiment focused on the key next-step scientific issue of ignition and moderately sustained burn; and (3) participation in an international program to develop practical low activation materials for fusion energy systems."

They said, "The U.S. program should establish significant collaborations with both the JET program in Europe and the JT-60 program in Japan. Such collaboration should provide experience in experiments that are prototypes for a burning plasma machine,such as ITER, and that can explore driven burning plasma discharges."

Regarding the future of the collaboration on ITER, they said, "The Panel judges that the proposed 3-year transition between completion of the EDA and an international decision to construct is reasonable and that the ITER merits continued U. S. involvement. It would be helpful to all parties in the ITER-enterprise if at least one of the parties would express, within the next year or two, its intention to offer a specific site for ITER construction by the end of the 3-year period."

They said, "Clearly, one major hurdle to ITER construction is its total project cost, most recently estimated to be $11.4 billion, with the host party expected to fund a substantial share. If the parties agree to move forward to construction, the U. S. should be prepared to determine, with stakeholder input, what the level and nature of its involvement should be. The PCAST Energy R&D Panel believes that if no party offers to host ITER in the next three years, it will nonetheless be vital to continue without delay the international pursuit of fusion energy. A more modestly scaled and priced devie aimed at a mutually agreed upon set of scientific objectives focused on the key next-step issue of burning plasma physics may make it easier for all parties to come to agreement."

The Panel said, "The present funding level of $230 million is too low in the view of the PCAST Energy R&D Panel; it allows no significant U. S. activity relating to participation in an international program to develop practical low-activation materials; reduces the level of funding for design of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER); forced an early shutdown for the largest U. S. fusion experiment; and canceled the next major U. S. plasma science and fusion experiment. It also limited resources available to explore alternative fusion concepts."

The Panel reviewed five "applied energy-technology R&D" areas: end-use efficiency, fission, fusion, renewables and fossil. They recommended that the efficiency budget be increased by $507 million to a total of $880 million; the fission budget be increased by $77 million to a total of $119 million; the fusion budget be increased by $96 million to a total of $328 million; the renewable budget be increased by $382 million to a total of $652 million; and the fossil budget be increased by $68 million to a total of $433 million; all by the year 2003.

Copies of the report may be requested by electronic file transfer from Panel member Bob Conn (rconn@soemail.ucsd.edu).

For more information, contact: Stephen O. Dean