Energy Biz – On the Fusion Front: ITER Transitions to Development Stage
Energy Biz – On the Fusion Front: ITER Transitions to Development Stage
23 January 2012
DESPITE NUMEROUS DELAYS and the looming threat of budget cuts due to the poor global economy, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, an international project to prove the viability of fusion as an energy source, has reached a new stage in its development.
“We are poised to transition from design work into fabrication,” said William Cahill, federal project director at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Cahill’s comment came after a fairly positive review of U.S. ITER efforts was performed by the DOE’s office of project assessment.
The shift from design to production is evident from recent funding. Over the years, U.S. ITER has awarded more than $260 million in contracts, including 90 major contracts totaling more than $103 million. Much of that funding was for preliminary research and design work on various elements of the fusion reactor and supporting infrastructure. In late 2011, funding was specifically for development. For example, AREVA Federal Services was awarded $13.2 million for the fabrication of five drain tanks for the ITER cooling water system.
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