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After months of preparation, the European Commission and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy signed the operation contract for Europe’s largest fusion experiment.

Since 2000, JET operation was being carried out under the auspices of the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA). According to the in 2014 newly implemented EU fusion research structure, the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) will operate the JET facility under contract from the European Commission.
JET operation will be provided as an in-kind contribution to the EUROfusion Consortium, which is responsible for implementing the coordinated programme under a separate grant agreement with the Commission.

Lorne Horton, Head of the JET Exploitation Unit at JET, comments: ’I am pleased that we have been able to get this contract in place and expect that CCFE will continue to provide a first class facility for the community’s use. I am confident that JET will continue to provide crucial and unique input to ITER.’ ITER represents the next generation fusion experiment and will start operation in the early 2020’s.

The €283 million contract represents the largest in the history of JET with an unprecedented duration of five years. Tony Donné, Manager of the European Joint Programme is also satisfied with the finalisation of the contract: ’The fact that we can now rely on a five year contract until the end of 2018, makes it easier for us and CCFE to fulfil the goal defined in the new EU framework programme. That is to deliver what is agreed on in the ‘Roadmap to the realisation of fusion energy’.

Sourca: EFDA.org