On 3 July, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi presented the new project baseline, under evaluation by the ITER Organization's governing body. This plan aims to ensure a robust start to scientific exploitation, marking a significant shift from the previous strategy established in 2016.

The original 2016 baseline focused on achieving "First Plasma" with a minimally equipped machine by 2025, followed by a multiyear assembly period. However, delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and necessary repairs on key components led to a re-evaluation. The new plan, while introducing a delay, offers a more comprehensive and scientifically valuable start. The initial phase, termed Start of Research Operations (SRO), will feature hydrogen and deuterium-deuterium plasmas, culminating in long pulses at full magnetic energy and plasma current.

A significant change in the new baseline is the installation of critical components such as the divertor and blanket shield blocks before initiating operations. This approach contrasts with the previous plan, which would have started with a less complete machine. Barabaschi emphasized that the new strategy allows ITER to begin substantial research from the outset, providing better risk mitigation and compensating for previous delays.

The revised baseline includes more time for integrated commissioning, additional heating systems, and the availability of disruption mitigation tools. Importantly, the plasma-facing material for the first wall will be tungsten instead of beryllium, aligning ITER's design with future fusion reactors that will utilize tungsten for better relevance and performance.

Key milestones in the new plan are the achievement of full magnetic energy in 2036, three years later than initially planned, and the start of the deuterium-tritium operation phase in 2039, a four-year delay. Despite these shifts, the core mission elements remain unchanged: demonstrating the integration of systems for industrial-scale fusion, achieving a burning plasma with 500 MW of thermal fusion power for 50 MW input (Q≥10), and sustaining 400-second pulses to reach thermal equilibrium.

The new baseline's additional cost is projected at EUR 5 billion, still under review. ITER's financing complexities arise from in-kind contributions by its members, making precise cost estimations challenging.

ITER, the world's largest experimental fusion facility, aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power, a potentially safe, abundant, and environmentally responsible energy source. The project, located in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France, is a global collaboration involving Europe, China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States.

For more information on the ITER Project, visit: https://www.iter.org/

Photo: ITER Organization/EJF Riche, http://www.iter.org/

Source: ITER Organization