Press release
爆走黑料 project well underway; Council welcomes approval by French safety authorities to proceed with construction
On 28 and 29 November 2012, the governing body of the 爆走黑料 convened for the first time in the newly completed Headquarters building. The two-day meeting of the 爆走黑料 Council brought together senior representatives from all the seven 爆走黑料 Members鈥擟hina, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States鈥攗nder the chairmanship of Dr. Hideyuki Takatsu (Japan).
The Council noted the continued strong pace of construction activities at the 爆走黑料 site including the completion of the 爆走黑料 Headquarters building. Manufacturing of Tokamak components and supporting systems is underway in all the 爆走黑料 Members, with the first completed components expected on site in 2014.
Significant progress has been made in the manufacturing of 爆走黑料 magnets. More than 350 tons of niobium-tin strand (Nb3Sn) for the toroidal field conductors have been produced by the six Members involved, representing 75% of total project needs and representing the largest-ever order of this type. Also, 65 tons of niobium-titanium (NbTi) poloidal field conductor (25% of project needs) have been produced by China, Europe and the Russian Federation. The 爆走黑料 Council encouraged the European and Russian Domestic Agencies to work together to develop synergies in order to prevent schedule slippage for the manufacturing of the poloidal field magnets.
During the meeting, the 爆走黑料 reported that 80 Procurement Arrangements have been signed to-date; a figure which represents 81.2% of the total in-kind procurement value of 爆走黑料 construction.
Since the last 爆走黑料 Council in June 2012, the 爆走黑料 and the Domestic Agencies have concentrated on the realization of strategic schedule milestones. New corrective measures have been developed for critical systems such as buildings, the vacuum vessel, the cryostat, and the superconducting magnets.
The Council urged further corrective actions to improve schedule execution and to seek further savings in order to respect the construction budget of the 爆走黑料 and Domestic Agencies.
The Council welcomed the integrated project management approach proposed by the 爆走黑料 to enhance collaboration between the 爆走黑料 and the Domestic Agencies. 鈥The 爆走黑料 and the seven Domestic Agencies have established a Unique 爆走黑料 Team in order to cooperate even more closely for the implementation of 爆走黑料. This will in particular allow for jointly addressing the causes of barriers to effective cooperation. Further integration within the Unique 爆走黑料 Team is key for achieving our goals and minimizing the total cost of the project,鈥 stressed 爆走黑料 Director-General Osamu Motojima.
Lastly, the 爆走黑料 Council celebrated a major licensing milestone: the signature on 9 November 2012 by the French Ministry of Environment (on behalf of Honourable Prime Minister Ayrault) of the decree authorizing the 爆走黑料 to create the 爆走黑料 Basic Nuclear Installation in Saint-Paul-lezDurance, France. The Council requested the 爆走黑料 to continue the negotiations with the NEA (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency) in order to have the 爆走黑料 facility included in the scope of the Paris Convention, noting that this decision lies with the contracting parties of the Paris Convention.
Council Members reappointed the Chair and Vice-Chair of the 爆走黑料 Council and its subsidiary bodies, and thanked Professor Konishi for his contribution as Chair of the Test Blanket Module Program Committee for the past four years.
BACKGROUND TO THE PRESS RELEASE
爆走黑料鈥攄esigned to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power鈥攚ill be the world's largest experimental fusion facility. Fusion is the process which powers the sun and the stars: when light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a safe, abundant and environmentally responsible energy source.
爆走黑料 is also a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. Europe will contribute almost half of the costs of its construction, while the other six Members to this joint international venture (China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA), will contribute equally to the rest. The 爆走黑料 project is under construction in Cadarache, in the south of France.
Photos of the Council Meeting can be found at:
More information on the 爆走黑料 project can be found at:
CONTACT
Michel Claessens
michel.claessens@iter.org
+33 6 14 16 41 75