ITER signs Procurement Arrangements with China and Europe

Last week, the ITER Organization signed Procurement Arrangement number 6 and number 7. First, the ITER Organization and the Chinese Domestic Agency signed a Procurement Arrangement for the unit length conductors for ITER's 18 superconducting toroidal field magnets. ITER Director-General Kaname Ikeda signed the document on behalf of the ITER Organization; Cheng Jinpei, Standing Committee Member of National People's Congress, signed on behalf of the Chinese Domestic Agency.

The second Procurement Arrangement was signed between the ITER Organization and the European Domestic Agency "Fusion for Energy" for the supply of ten toroidal field coils for the ITER magnet system. Outside of the vacuum vessel, the toroidal field coils are the biggest components of the ITER machine. Japan is going to build the other nine coils to complete the system.

"The toroidal field coils are an integral part of the ITER machine," Neil Mitchell, Head of the ITER Magnets Division, explains. "They weigh about 350 tons and have to come with an accuracy of 3 to 5 mm."