26 May 2004 17:03
NUCLEAR FUSION: ITER BUDGET MUST BE RAISED FOR FRANCE TO PLAY HOST
European Commissioner for Research Philippe Busquin informed Ministers on the state of negotiations with other
members of the ITER consortium (Japan, US, South Korea, China and Russia) over the choice of where to base this Euro 10
billion project. In particular, he noted that during the last experts' meeting in Vienna on March 12-13, an
assessment of the two candidate sites according to equal criteria very clearly found in favour of Cadarache.
Unfortunately, the US, and South Korea, which support Japan, did not want a report to be published after the meeting. In
short, negotiations on the choice of site are stalled for the time being.
Broader Approach.
In the meantime, Europeans and Japanese have found another bone of contention: that of compensation for the loser,
under the modestly entitled 'Broader Approach'. These negotiations are taking place without prejudice to later
decisions on the choice of ITER site, but it is still not clear where these are leading. Japanese and European experts
have therefore met on a number of occasions: in Japan on March 22-23, then in Brussels on April 6, in Culham (UK) on
April 18-19 and in Tokyo on April 24. The subject was on the agenda in all meetings between the Europeans and other
members of the ITER consortium: in Moscow on April 5, in Beijing, in Seoul between April 6-13 during a visit by
Commissioner Busquin, and in Washington during a meeting on April 22 between the President of the Council of European
Research Ministers, Irish Minister Mary Harney and her American opposite number Spencer Abraham.
Talks allowed the content of the Broader Approach to be defined, as well its time schedule and main milestones. This
primarily includes a possible remote data centre, which was initially foreseen as the main compensation for the loser.
Negotiators then looked at the after-ITER: a DEMO facility, a demonstration reactor to be built post-2025, with the
capacity to produce a significant amount of electricity. Achieving this will involve activities on smaller devices, the
satellites-tokamaks, to prepare and support the operations on ITER, particularly in respect to the requirements of DEMO.
Thus, it is clear that the JET reactors (in the UK) and JT-60 in Japan could, with some technical modifications, fulfil
this role. Within the scope of its fatigue life, the use of JET during the ITER's construction seems feasible in
the primary phase. Once the main JET components are exhausted, and its activation and contamination render a re-build
impossible, the Japanese JT-60 would then take over the major functions of the ITER satellite-tokamak.
Third part of the Broader Approach: the development of materials to be used in future reactors. This requires the
construction of a dedicated neutron source to test materials performance when subjected to the extensive irradiation
inherent in fusion. This involves an International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF), which would come
on-line at about the same time as ITER, around 2015, and provide data for the construction of DEMO around 2025. The cost
of IFMIF is estimated by experts to be around Euro 900 million. For the record, the cost of construction for ITER was,
in 2000, estimated at around Euro 4,500 million.
Offer.
Of course, the Japanese cannot countenance ITER being located anywhere outside their own country. This is not
important, in the eyes of the Europeans, who wish to push on and are proposing a complete deal to the Japanese. This
would give rise to an additional contribution of around Euro 430 million, with the EU covering 48% of costs if ITER is
situated in Europe. "Voluntary additional contributions by the ITER host country (France) and other Member States
could help meeting these extra costs", declared Commissioner Busquin on the fringes of the Competitiveness Council.
Clearly, work in Europe linked to the Broader Approach would have to be incorporated in a coherent way with a vigorous
"accompanying programme", that is the fusion R&D activities carried out in Europe, in parallel to ITER. So
for now, the ball is in the French and EU court.
During a dinner for six (France, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK) at the invitation of the
Commission on May 17, the French said they were ready to cover the 12% extra cost linked to the Broader Approach, or
Euro 108 million, which works out at 25% of the EU contribution. However, French officials did not repeat this pledge
before other Member States during the May 18 Council session. The Council has decided to continue talks with its
international partners on the basis of what has already been agreed in the Broader Approach.
[European Report] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
