A strategic approach to fusion power
18 Feb 2011
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Sabina Griffith
Director-General Motojima, formerly Chairman of the Stellarator Implementation Agreement, presented the status of ITER at the 40th meeting of the FPCC.
Early February, the Fusion Power Coordinating Committee (FPCC) convened in the Headquarters of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, located at the footsteps of the Eiffel Tower, to report on the state of the fusion art and to coordinate the Committee's future work.
The FPCC was established in 1975 by the IEA Governing Board. Today nineteen IEA Countries, the European Commission, the Russian Federation, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are members of the FPCC. The FPCC coordinates the IEA activities on fusion and advises the IEA Committee on Energy Research and Technologies (CERT) and other IEA bodies on fusion policy and technology issues. The current Chairman of the FPCC is Francesco Gnesotto from Italy.
The overall objective of the FPCC is to enhance fusion research, development and deployment activities with a strategic approach to realizing fusion energy in both IEA member countries and in non-member countries. The FPCC accomplishes this objective by promoting, initiating and coordinating international cooperation on fusion under the auspices of the IEA and within the IEA Framework for International Energy Technology Collaboration.
The work of the FPCC is of direct relevance to ITER and the "beyond-ITER" program including the realization of a DEMO reactor and fusion power plants.
The FPCC also coordinates and supports the activities of the IEA Fusion Implementing Agreements. These international groups carry out R&D activities such as physics, technology, materials, safety, environmental and economic aspects, and social acceptance of fusion power. Their work is of direct relevance to ITER and the "beyond-ITER" program including the realization of a DEMO reactor and fusion power plants and the investigation of the economic, environmental, safety and social aspects of fusion power.
This 40th meeting of the FPCC saw ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima in a new role. After having led the international stellarator activities as Chairman of the Stellarator Implementation Agreement, this time he presented the status of ITER as Director-General of the ITER Organization.
Further presentations were given by Kumar Rajendra from the Institute of Plasma Research in India and Galvao Ricardo from the Brazilian Center of Physics Research, acting as Special Observers to the FPCC. Both presented the status of fusion research in their home countries. Richard Kamendje from the IAEA reported on the fusion program within the IAEA and Hideyuki Takatsu on the impressive progress made on the Broader Approach in Rokkasho, Japan.