ITER COUNCIL MEETS IN JAPAN: MITIGATING EFFECTS OF THE JAPANESE NATURAL DISASTER ON THE ITER PROJECT
IC-8 PRESS RELEASE
Aomori, Japan (15 June 2011). On 14 and 15 June 2011, the ITER Council, the Governing Body of the ITER Organization, convened for its eighth meeting. The two-day meeting in Aomori, Japan, brought together representatives from the seven ITER Members: China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States under the chairmanship of Evgeny Velikhov (Russia).

The Council expressed its satisfaction with the progress of building construction onsite in Cadarache (France) and the fabrication of major components. Maintaining the ITER project's schedule within approved funding, including mitigating the effects of the Japanese earthquake on the manufacturing of critical components, were among the important issues discussed at the eighth meeting of the ITER Council. A strategic plan aiming at schedule performance recovery will be developed by the beginning of October 2011. The Director-General of the ITER Organization, Osamu Motojima, stressed “We will take all necessary measures to minimize the delay.”
In this context, the Council reaffirmed the importance and the necessity of fusion energy, which holds the potential for a future energy source that is safe, abundant, environmentally benign and economically competitive. The Council encouraged continued strong cooperation among the seven Members in the implementation of the ITER project—an indispensable step on the path to fusion energy. The ITER project will help develop fusion to meet global energy needs and to increase the standard of living worldwide. The Council noted the strong inherent safety characteristics of fusion systems.
The Council noted the measures taken by the ITER Organization to improve project management. In particular, the Council acknowledged joint efforts made by the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies for cost reduction and containment and encouraged all Members to seek further significant savings/reductions for the ITER Construction phase. The Council suggested that mitigation of the effects of the Japanese natural disaster should be taken into account in these proposals.
The ITER Council appointed an assessor to carry out the Management Assessment, which according to the ITER Agreement, must be undertaken at least every two years. The ITER Council also adopted the ITER Organization’s 2010 Annual Report, approved the proposed revision of ITER Organization Staff Regulations and took other required administrative actions.
IC-8 PRESS RELEASE
BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS RELEASE
ITER will be the world's largest experimental fusion facility and is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. ITER is also a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. 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, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source.
The ITER project is sited at Cadarache in the South of France. Europe will contribute almost half of the costs of its construction, while the other six Members to this joint international venture (China, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA), will contribute equally to the rest.
Photos of the Council Meeting can be found at: http://www.iter.org/gallery/com_image_download
Additional photos of ITER can be found at: http://www.iter.org/gallery/com_image_download
Further information at http://www.iter.org/