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1\30 FYI No 13- US Will Rejoin ITER
Part 1 of 2

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 13: January 30, 2003

Abraham Announces U.S. Will Rejoin ITER

Today, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced President Bush's
decision that the U.S. will rejoin negotiations to build and operate 
an international fusion energy project, the International 
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).  "The Bush Administration 
believes that fusion is a key element in U.S. long-term energy plans," 
according to a DOE press release, and ITER "will demonstrate essential 
fusion energy technologies...and will test key elements required to 
use fusion as a practical energy source."

The U.S. withdrew from participation in ITER in 1998, during the 
design phase, over concerns about the projected costs and project 
management.  Since that time, the project has undergone significant 
restructuring.  The current partners in the project are Canada, the 
European Union, Russia and Japan.  China has also recently become a 
participant in the negotiations.  Canada, Japan and the European Union 
have offered sites to host the facility.  ITER is estimated to cost 
about $5 billion in constant 2002 dollars to build, and may become 
operational around 2014 if a site is chosen and construction begun by 
2006.

Portions of Abraham's remarks, made today at the Princeton Plasma 
Physics Laboratory (PPPL), follow.  Some paragraphs have been combined 
in the interests of space.  The full text of the Secretary's remarks 
is available at  
http://www.energy.gov/HQDocs/speeches/2003/janss/PPPLAllHands.html and 
further information on ITER can be found at 
http://www.ofes.fusion.doe.gov/iter.html .

POTENTIAL OF FUSION ENERGY:

"Over the lifetime of a child born today, the demand for energy will 
more than triple from what it is today. Most of that growth will take 
place in the developing world. And if fusion power proves practical, 
it will kick in at the right time. It will be there to meet the 
increasing need for large scale sources of clean energy around the 
world.

"That defines the promise of fusion. And it points to its great 
benefits.  Fusion power produces no troublesome emissions, it is safe, 
and has few, if any, proliferation concerns. It creates no long term 
waste problems and runs on fuel readily available to all nations. 
Moreover, fusion plants could produce hydrogen ... our ultimate 
freedom fuel ... to power hundred of millions of hydrogen fuel cell 
vehicles in the U.S. and abroad.

"So I want to acknowledge the strides you've made in developing this 
new energy source. But I also want to tell you that your task has just 
gotten bigger ... and more important than ever."

GLOBALIZATION OF SCIENCE:

"As everyone here knows, American science leads the world. Innovation, 
the willingness to take chances, the free and open exchange of ideas 
-- these are just some of the things that help propel American 
research. And I know - with certainty -- that we will continue this 
leadership role. We will never accept second best in science.  But 
science in the 21st Century is often a global effort. Time and again, 
homegrown scientific discoveries turn out to be not so homegrown after 
all. Often, international cooperation is indispensable to achieving 
results.  We have followed this course with our advanced nuclear power 
program, which is developing the next major improvement in nuclear 
reactors we call Generation-IV.

"Fusion energy is no different. Princeton, our other DOE labs, the
university community and American industry, have pushed fusion 
research far beyond what many thought possible and made the prospects 
of fusion power credible.  Now is the time to expand our scope and 
embrace international efforts to realize the promise of fusion energy.  
Now it is time to take the next step on the way to having fusion 
deliver electricity to the grid."

"The President has decided to take that step."

DECISION ON ITER:

"Therefore, I am pleased to announce today, that President Bush has 
decided that the United States will join the international 
negotiations on ITER.

"Today's decision is a logical extension of the President's National 
Energy Policy, which called on the Department to develop 
next-generation technology - including fusion.  ITER will help us do 
just that ... for it has a clear objective ... to demonstrate the 
scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy.  ITER will 
help answer tough questions about fusion power. It will advance both 
the science and technology of fusion by opening the way to a vast 
array of critical experiments. And it will produce industrial levels 
of fusion power for long durations.

"So, let me commend the efforts of our allies who have been working on 
ITER up to this point. All of us recognize the possibilities fusion 
power offers to feed the energy needs of growing economies around the 
world.  And we know that this experiment is a crucial element in the 
path forward to satisfying global energy demand.

"As with all important scientific undertakings, there is no guarantee 
of success. We will no doubt encounter roadblocks. Experiments will 
fail. But there is something also true about science ... failure is 
often more fruitful than success. When you start on one path of 
discovery, you may end up on another more promising, more fascinating, 
and more rewarding road.

"President Bush has faith in American science. And he knows the huge 
energy challenges ... for the United States and for the world ... that 
fusion science seeks to tackle.  And let me tell you, he is not one 
for taking baby steps when leaps are called for.

"By the time our young children reach middle age, fusion may begin to
deliver energy independence ... and energy abundance ... to all 
nations rich and poor. Fusion is a promise for the future we must not 
ignore."

DOMESTIC FUSION ENERGY PROGRAM:

"But let me be clear, our decision to join ITER in no way means a 
lesser role for the fusion programs we undertake here at home. It is 
imperative that we maintain and enhance our strong domestic research 
program - at Princeton, at the universities and at our other labs. 
Critical science needs to be done in the U.S., in parallel with ITER, 
to strengthen our competitive position in fusion technology.  So as 
optimistic as I am, our success in ITER will depend, in no small 
measure, on what we do in the United States...."

"The Department is exploring the full range of approaches to 
generating energy through fusion. Princeton, along with our other 
great national labs -- Oak Ridge, Lawrence Berkeley, Los Alamos, 
Lawrence Livermore are joined by university researchers from some 30 
states, making fusion science a truly national effort."

(continued)

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