International Agreement Gives Green Light to Fusion Plant

11/27/2006

Engineering of U.S.-supplied components will begin next year for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) following the Nov. 21 signing of an international agreement by the U.S., China, European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Russia. Each nation has been allocated a "basket" of high-technology and low-technology components tailored to its strengths, which it will provide to meet its "in-kind" obligation under the agreement, says Ned Sauthoff, director of the U.S. ITEP project office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He says the U.S. will contribute $1.122 billion, including $500 million in procurements under the Federal Acquisition Regulations. The $12.34-billion project will be built in Cadarache, France. Among the U.S. components will be superconductor cable and radio-frequency heating systems. Construction could start on an eight-year schedule in 2009, Sauthoff says.