newsletter
newsletter
Vol 2004 / 3June 15, 2004

E UROPEAN F USION DEVELOPEMENT AGREEMENT

News
Issued by the EFDA
Close Support Unit
Garching

Contents

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New EU Member States
page 2Integration of New
Partners: Voices
page 3
Associations:
RUSA Annual Meeting
page 4
Associations:Risøpage 5

Associations:
HAS

page 6

Associations:
FZ Karlsruhe
page 7
JET:
Visit of Swiss
Secretary of State for
Science and Research
JET:
25th Anniversary
page 8

http://www.efda.org

EU Enlargement: New Partnerships in Fusion
1 May 2004: day one for the enlarged European Union! Ten more countries have joined the
EU: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak
Republic, and Slovenia. Bulgaria and Romania hope to do so in 2007. After earlier expansions
from 6 to 15 members, we are now experiencing the largest enlargement in the history ofEuropean integration. The population of the EU has increased by about 70 million - including manyhighly qualified scientists and talented researchers.
Several of the new Member States (MS) were already associated to EURATOM prior to 1 May,and had established substantial fusion activities under FP5/6-EURATOM: Contracts of Association
were established with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Romania. All of the Associationsin the new MS and candidate countries are also members of EFDA.
Bulgaria, Slovakia and Slovenia participated through Cost-Sharing Actions. Collaborations
among laboratories in the ‘new’ and ‘old’ MS formed an important aspect of these activities andwere supported by the Agreement on Staff Mobility and EURATOM fellowships. The level of activity in fusion research varies among the new MS, and it is a challenge to the whole fusion community to enhance their participation in the fully integrated European fusion programme. In order tofacilitate a rapid integration of fusion activities in the new and future MS, a kick-off workshop washeld on 24 and 25 May in Garching (see also page 3) bringing together senior representatives fromthe new partners, EFDA and the existing Associations. A second meeting is planned later toenhance the impact and to follow up on the initiatives being developed.
More on the new MS and their involvement in the fusion PI activities on page 2

EFDA Fusion Newsletter

page 2News
EU Enlargement:
New Partnerships in Fusion(continued)

Czech Republic
Association EURATOM-IPP-CZ
Institute of Plasma Physics
Academy of Sciences of the
Czech Republic, Prague
http://www.ipp.cas.cz

Estonia
University of Tartu
Institute of Physics, Tartu
http://www.ut.ee/english/

Public Information (PI) on fusion in the new EU Member States
Surveys such as the Eurobarometer study on the perception of Science & Technology
issued in January 2003 (http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/index_en.htm) have shown thatthe general public in the new MS does not feel well informed about science. The PI activities of the fusion community therefore have an important role to play in fostering a general
understanding of the relevance of fusion research and the value of EU level support andco-ordination. To achieve this goal it is crucial to address both the general public and decision makers. In order to attract a wide audience, it is essential to present fusion researchwithin the general context of energy research and to explain societal aspects of energy
supply and use. The fusion community also needs to extend its range of contacts, building
on existing links in fusion R&D, National Contact Points, Information Centres, local science
communication associations, etc.
Active involvement of fusion researchers in the new MS in the existing fusion PI infrastructure is being fostered through the Committee on Public Information (CPI), which
oversees and co-ordinates the PI activities of the EU fusion community. This co-ordination
work is supported by the Public Information Group (PIG) and the Public Information Network(PIN). The Commission services assist the PI efforts of national contacts in fusion R&D by
providing PI material, such as presentations on fusion R&D, for potential partners andeducational events, information sheets on Associations, brochures and by supporting the
Fusion Expo events.

Hungary
Association EURATOM-HAS
KFKI-Research Institute forParticle and Nuclear Physics,
Budapest
http://www.mta.hu/

LatviaAssociation EURATOM/
University of Latvia
Institute of Solid State Physics,
Riga
http://www.cfi.lu.lv/

PolandThe Fusion Expo has proved to be a very powerful tool in developing the participationof the new MS in the general PI activities in fusion – in several cases it has been thetrigger to a much deeper involvement in this aspect of fusion research. The number ofvenues in the new and future MS playing host to the Fusion Expo is rising, and in 2004 Expo
visits to Poland (Poznan, Krakow and Warsaw), Latvia (Riga) and Bulgaria (Sofia) areplanned, while Slovenia (Ljubljana) is already pencilled in for 2005.
Several of the new MS are already playing an active role in PI activities:•

The Association EURATOM/IPP-CR (Czech Republic) has a new department“Scientific information and popularisation”, and one of their staff members has been
filling a position in Public Relations at EFDA JET, Culham (UK) since March 2003.

•

The Association EURATOM/HAS (Hungary) hosted the Fusion Expo at the Millenaris
Park in Budapest in October 2003. Over 3200 visitors saw the Expo, including 2100
school students. A strong media coverage further boosted public exposure, reachinga much wider audience and resulting in a highly effective PI event. The Association
is now considering the possibility of contributing to the EIROforum education activities.

•

In Poland, Gdansk hosted the Fusion Expo in September 2003, for the opening of
the Hewelianum Science Centre and generated significant media coverage (press,
radio, TV). A total of 3200 visitors, including 126 school groups, saw the Expo. The
exhibitions held this April in Poznan (University of Poznan) and Krakow (Universityof Mining and Metallurgy) were also very successful, and during May the exhibition
has moved on to the Warsaw University Faculty of Physics.

Institute of Plasma Physics
and Laser Microfusion,
Warsaw
http://www.ifpilm.waw.pl/

Slovak Republic
Research Institute for
Nuclear Power Plants, Trnava

Slovenia
Jozef Stefan Institute,
Ljubljana
http://www.ijs.si/ijs.html

Cyprus, Lithuania andMalta are about to organise
their Plasma Physics
Programmes.

These few examples illustrate the enthusiasm with which our colleagues in the new MS
are promoting a better understanding of fusion research in their countries. Their activities will
benefit the entire fusion community and it is therefore essential that the ‘old’ and the ‘new’communities of EU fusion researchers work closely together in expanding our effectiveness incommunicating the inherent benefits of fusion energy to the wider public and in awakening a
new generation of talented scientists and engineers to the excitement of our research.

EFDA Fusion Newsletter

page 3

EU Enlargement - Voices
Integration of New and Recent Partners to the EURATOM Fusion Programme
Bulgaria (L. Popova, I. Zhelyazkov)“We intend to participate for example in Monte Carlo calculations for particle
collisions in the core, SOL and with plasma facing surfaces on specific time scales,and development of manufacture methods for metal and ceramic components.”
IPP Czech Republic (P. Chraska, P. Pavlo, J. Stockel, M. Zmitko)*“Probably the only real change brought in by May 1, 2004 is, that the ‘technicalities’ connected with the international cooperation within the EU should beeasier. There is no need for special visas, declarations for the exchange of
instruments, etc. As for the main topics of research for the future we don’t expect
any large changes.”
Estonia (M. Laan, A. Lushchik, Ü. Ugaste)“Joining EFDA gives to the Estonian community of physicists a great chance
to participate in fusion studies. Besides integration within the European structures
the event gives a new look to the studies carried out up to now. The new situation
forces us to concentrate our studies in directions important from the point of viewof the Fusion Programme. We foresee our future prospects in the tight collaboration with the leading European centres of fusion research.”
Hungary (A. Aszodi, S. Szego, S. Tokesi, S. Zoletnik)*“There is an increasing interest in fusion research in Hungary and we have aconsiderable number of enthusiastic students. We hope this will give a strong basis
for strengthening our participation in the fusion physics programme and finally will
wake up the interest of industry as well.”Latvia (J. Freibergs, I. Tale, J. Tiliks, A. Vitins)**“Our participation in the Fusion Programme gives new opportunities and application of our knowledge in magnetohydrodynamics, material and radiation
science, spectroscopy and theoretical physics. Association 'EURATOM University of Latvia' foresees good results in development and investigation ofliquid metal limiter and other liquid metal technologies for ITER and IFMIF
projects. These perspectives and collaboration with other EURATOM Associations
attracts as well new Latvian students to physics.”
Lithuania (A. Adomavicius, L. Pranevicius, E. Uspuras)“ The materials of this kick-off meeting will be distributed among all interested
institutions in Lithuania and potential new ideas are highly probable. Our young
researchers would like to participate in physics experiments in the EU.”
Poland ( A. Galkowski, J. Gierlinski, J.K. Kurzydlowski, Z. Skladanowski,
J. Wolowski)“There are Polish research institutes that are keen on participating in the
Physics Programme. The great potential of Poland can be invested also in thedevelopment of the technology related to fusion. For Poland, the association to
the European fusion programme is also an opportunity to get access to theEuropean fusion laboratories which will be beneficial both for Poland and for theEuropean Fusion Programme.”
Romania (C. Atanasiu, T. Ionescu Bujor, G. Ionita, G. Popa, D. Sporea, V. Zoita) *“The contribution of our Association will be increased in the next few years. The
excellent collaboration with IPP-Garching, ULB and JET in tokamak plasma
theory will be continued. Our involvement in the water detritiation systems for JET
and ITER will be increased and the collaboration with FZ Karlsruhe and SCK-Mol
in this field will be extended. The recently developed laboratory for X-ray mictrotomography for NDT inspection of miniaturized samples will be used for common
activities with different EURATOM Associations.”

Following the enlargementof the European Union by
10 new member states on
May 1, 2004, a meeting
was held at the EFDA
Close Support Unit /Max-Planck-Institute for
Plasma Physics in
Garching (Germany) on
24 and 25 May, 2004.
The CCE-FU (Consultative
Committee for EURATOM
Specific Research andTraining Programme in the
Field of Nuclear Energy
Fusion) had recommended
the holding of such ameeting aimed to assist
the integration of new andrecent partners in the
EURATOM fusion
programme.
All the new member states(except for Cyprus andMalta) and the two statesscheduled to join the EU
in 2007, Bulgaria andRomania, were represented.
The representatives of thecountries which participated were all asked thesame question "What are
the future prospects forthe participation of yourscientific community inthe European Fusion
Programme?"
The replies are shown on
this and the following
pages.

*The Associations
EURATOM/IPP.CR, HAS(Hungarian Academy of
Sciences), and MECT
(Ministry of Education,
Sport and Youth,
Romania) were establishedin 1999.
**
The Association EURATOM/UL (University of Latvia)
was established in 2001.

EFDA Fusion Newsletter

page 4ITER
Slovakia (M. Polak , J. Skalny)“This is an excellent occasion especially for our young PhD students and postdocs toparticipate in a modern and cutting edge programme. This is a chance for all our researchteams to find partners for collaboration. This is the best way we can contribute to theformation of the European Research Area.”
Slovenia (M. Cercek, B. Pukl, J. Duhovnik, M. Ravnik, S. Novak)“Although Slovenia doesn’t have its own Association in the field of fusion research, there
are national activities that could be of relevance for collaboration with other European
Associations, with JET or for participtation in the ITER project. The most promising fields for
future collaboration are: development and processing of advanced ceramic materials,
plasma diagnostics and many others.”

The meeting was held in
Studsvik on April 20thand 21st. It was dedicatedthis year to the memory ofAnders Bondesson, adistinguished well known
Swedish theoretician who
recently passed away.

For more information see:
Alfvén Laboratory
http://www.alfvenlab.kth.se/ind
ex-e.html

Chalmers University ofTechnology
http://www.chalmers.se/HomeE.html

EXTRAP
http://www.fusion.kth.se/

Associations
Annual meeting of the Research Union Swedish Association (RUSA)
The meeting was attended by about sixty scientists, mainly from the Swedish research institutes.
Amongst these, the Alfvén Laboratory of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, theChalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, the Association EURATOM-VR, Stockholm,
Studsvik Nuclear in Studsvik. Prof. V. Smirnov, director of the Kurchatov Institute, and Dr. R. Andreani,the EFDA Associate Leader for technology, were also present and gave presentations on the Russian
fusion programme in the context of ITER and on the EFDA programme in view of ITER respectively.
The two days presentations gave a broad and interesting insight into the wide spectrum of activities conducted on fusion in Sweden: theoretical studies, experimental activities on EXTRAP and on
JET, neutronics studies and experiments, materials and waste related theoretical and experimental
activities, safety analyses, with important contributions from Studsvik on waste and decommissioning.
A visit to the installations of Studsvik Nuclear followed the meeting. This private company, part ofthe large Studsvik AB group, with 200 employees on site, is operating in the nuclear field providing awide range of services. With two test reactors on site and hot laboratories, the main activities are:•irradiation and test of fuel elements and materials for the nuclear industry;•mechanical test laboratories for studies on materials resistance to corrosion in aradioactive environment;•
production of isotopes and semiconductor doping.
Large experience on decommissioning is available directly and through a large company of the grouplocated in Germany.

page 5EFDA Fusion Newsletter

Associations
Symposium on Fusion Energy at Risø National Laboratory, Denmark
On 24th of March 2004 a symposium on fusion energy was organised by the Association
EURATOM-Risø. The programme contained four 45 minute talks and finally a debate on
fusion energy among the audience and speakers. The audience of approximately 65
persons came from industry, the ministries, newspapers, universities, the general public,
and from Risø.
The first speaker was Prof. H. Bruhns from the European Commission presenting “Whatis fusion and why do we develop it?“. In his talk Prof. Bruhns emphasised the strength of
the European Fusion programme distributed in the national Associations and integrated in
the EURATOM framework: this strength is shown in the scientific exploitation of JET and in
the ITER design work.

The Symposium wasorganised by Association
EURATOM-Risø National
Laboratory, Denmark(www.risoe.dk/euratom/Fusion
Symposium)

Information on thegeneral activities of theDanish association can befound on the webpage
www.risoe.dk/euratom

The second talk “JET, Europe’s world leading fusion experiment“ was given by the
EFDA Associate Leader for the Joint European Torus, Dr. J. Pamela. He described thedevelopment of the JET experiments, and the importance of the JET contributions to ITER,
both as an operator training site and a test facility for plasma scenarios. Answering one
question Dr. Pamela stated that discontinuing the JET experiment could easily increase thecost of the ITER experiment and decrease the efficiency of its exploitation.
The third talk by Dr. M. Chatelier vice director of Association EURATOM-CEA,
Cadarache, France, “ITER, an essential step towards fusion energy”, described the ITER
project. It was emphasised that ITER is not a reactor, but an experiment for demonstrating
all technologies essential to a fusion reactor in an integrated system. In particular threetechnologies will be tested: superconducting magnets at high field (13 T) and high current(80 kA), remote handling in a hostile environment, and plasma facing components andbreeding blankets under a high heat flux (up to 15 MW/m2) and neutron wall load(≥ 0.5 MW/m2). Dr. Chatelier also recalled that ignition is not needed for ITER success, andis not even desirable for a reactor, where the alpha heating fraction will be 90-95 %.
The last talk “The fast track to fusion power” by Dr. G. Janeschitz, head of the Association
EURATOM-FZK, Research Centre Karlsruhe in Germany, was a comprehensive look atwhich technologies are needed in order to construct a fusion power plant. According to thefast track, the two steps DEMO and PROTO reactors (respectively, an experiment showingthat a full working fusion power plant can be built, and a prototype for commercial reactors)
can be combined, and in this way the development time can be shortened byat least 10 years, providing commercial fusion energy by 2040. This will,
however, require technological developments performed in parallel to ITER
construction and operation, with some essential components such as: IFMIF(materials testing facility), a DEMO design team which guides the fusion
technology R&D in a similar way as the ITER EDA team has done, a fully
validated virtual tokamak (computer code) developed for ITER and validated with ITER experimental results, an accompanying programme to ITER
based on the existing tokamaks including JET (until 2010 or 2012) and a newsuperconducting satellite tokamak in the JET class (e.g. JT60-SC or a new
EU machine depending on the location of ITER), as well as an extended performance state of ITER (from 2025 onwards) with a full tritium breedingblanket and high availability to perform component tests for DEMO.

Answering questions from the audience:
Dr. J. Paméla (left) and Dr. H. Bindslev

Speakers listening (from left to right):

Following the inspiring talks the four speakers lined up for a panel
Dr. M. Chatelier, Prof. H. Bruhns and Dr. J. Kjems(Director of Risø National Laboratory)
debate with the audience. Several issues were discussed: Other means ofconfinement, the fast track to fusion and the perspectives for structural and first wall materials research where the ongoing developments and the planning for validation of materials
were clarified. The discussion also addressed the level of uncertainty of reaching the goalof a fusion power plant. The opinion on the last subject was that based on the remarkableprogress achieved over the past decades there is a very good chance of reaching the goal:
For more information see:today the physics is in hand to build ITER which willgenerate 500 MW of fusion power and alltechnologies have been identified which are needed for the power plant and for most of themwww.iter.org
already prototype or model solutions do exist.

EFDA Fusion Newsletter

page 6

Associations
The Hungarian EURATOM Association steps into the EU
On May 1 Hungary –together with 9 othercountries - joined theEuropean Union. But inthe field of fusion, Hungary
has been a member of theEU since 1999.
Association EURATOMHungarian Academy of
Sciences (HAS) was
formed after the agreement with EURATOM.
Most of the members of
the Association work at the
KFKI Research Institutefor Particle and Nuclear
Physics. Hungary had
already had a fusion programme in the 80s –based on the small tokamak MT-1M which operated at KFKI between 1979
and 1997. In the 1990s
the financial support of the
programme gradually
decreased. This negative
trend completely changed
in 1999, when the country
joined EURATOM. Since
then the staff and thenumber of scientific topics
have continuously increased. Now 22 researchersand engineers, 5 PhD. and
5 undergraduate students
take part in the fusion project from several Hungarian research institutes
and universities.

Find more information on:
http://www.rmki.kfki.hu/plasma/andhttp://www.magfuzio.hu

Fusion physics research
The Association takes part mostly in experimental
fusion research at various European experiments. The
scientific programme is centered around three topics:
use of neutral particle beams for plasma diagnostics,
ablation of pellets in the plasma and study of plasma
turbulence. As Association-HAS does not have afusion facility, these studies are carried out throughcollaborations with other Associations, and experimental work has been done on several EU fusion devices:
ASDEX-UPGRADE, CASTOR, JET, TCV, TEXTOR and Wendelstein 7-AS.
Experimental studies are complemented by numerical simulations of the expansion
and radiation of dense plasma clouds surrounding pellets ablating in a plasma. Special
numerical techniques are also developed for extracting important information from plasma
turbulence measurements: flow velocity modulations, burst in turbulence and similar intermittent phenomena. Laser-plasma interaction studies are also part of the programme as akeep in touch activity in inertial fusion energy research. These last investigations are donein collaboration with the Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik (Germany) and the Universityof Szeged (Hungary). Following a long experience in plasma tomography the EURATOMAssociation-HAS has been studying tomographic capabilities of the ITER bolometry
diagnostic as well. It is especially encouraging that enthusiastic, young students take partin all of these projects.
Fusion technology
In the technology, R&D tasks were awarded by EFDA for studying the effect of neutron
irradiation on structural materials of future devices and electromagnetic qualification technology (eddy current type sensor) for testing superconducting coils for ITER. Irradiation
studies are done in the Budapest research reactor, which has developed special irradiation
rigs for fusion research. Collaboration proposals from other Associations are welcome tostrengthen this field of activities.
Education and Public Information activities
Association HAS is playing an increasingly active role in university level education andpublic information for fusion sciences. A new Hungarian fusion web site was created. The
Association organised a
Fusion Expo (9 – 26 October2003) in Budapest. 2100
students from 83 secondary
school classes and 1500
other people visited the Expo.
A special course on fusion isheld at the Budapest
University of Technology andEconomics. The Association
intends to create a remoteteaching website in fusion
sciences for training mostly
eastern European university
students
andyoung
researchers and organises,in collaboration with SUMTRAIC, the experimental
fusionsummertraining
course organised by the
Czech Association.

page 7

EFDA Fusion Newsletter

AssociationsFirst Technical Meeting on X-ray tomography of nuclear materials at
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK)The study of materials plays a key role in the development of a fusion reactor. Thesestudies are also important for other sectors, such as fission reactors, nuclear waste, etc. In
particular, the microstructure of the materials and its changes under neutron irradiation,
especially in the presence of gas production due to nuclear reactions, are key factors inorder to control material development and, correspondingly, to optimise the design of components and systems. The studies in this field have the common requirement that the investigation techniques and the laboratories have to be adapted to the handling of highly
radioactive samples. Due to the recent progress in the development of instrumentation andcomputers and in the use of synchrotron light, X-ray tomography has become particularly
attractive, since it is in principle the only non-destructive technique, which enables a full 3D
characterization and the related quantitative analysis of the material microstructure features, which are needed for the development and validation of models. This technique wasalready presented in EFDA Newsletter (issue December 2003).
The first Technical Meeting on X-Ray Tomography of Nuclear Materials was organisedby the Association-EURATOM-FZK (Germany) on January 22nd-23rd, 2004, in collaboration
with the JRC and the ESRF. The aim of the workshop was to put together all experts in thisnew field, with the aim of presenting the first pioneering studies and of discussing
technical and safety requirements for future works. Scientist from 7 European countries,
9 research centres (FZK und JRC, Germany; SCK-CEN Belgium; NRG Petten, theNetherlands; ESRF Grenoble, CEA Cadarache and SOLEIL Paris, France; NILPRP,
Association EURATOM-MEC Bucharest, Romania; UMIST Manchester, UK) and 2 companies (British Nuclear Fuel Limited Berkeley, UK, and Applied Research Solutions Grenoble,
France) participated in the meeting.
To introduce the meeting Mr. G. Lander (JRC-ITU) spoke about the historical development of the tomography. In the first session fusion-relevant results of the application of
tomography in the experimental characterization of helium and tritium release from neutronirradiated beryllium and of the structure of non irradiated beryllium pebble beds were presented. Beryllium pebbles are proposed as a neutron multiplier for the blanket of fusion
reactors. In the second session the technical feasibility of further studies with active samples and the related safety requirements were discussed. In the third session the technicalpossibilities and needed developments at the synchrotron light sources ESRF, ANKA in FZKand SOLEIL and at the conventional X-ray source in NILPRP were presented. The main
conclusion of the meeting was to start a coordination action among the involved experts, in orderto put together common requirements and, as a consequence, to reduce development costs.

ABBREVIATIONS:ANKA: Angströmquelle
Karlsruhe GmbH
CEA: Commissariat àl'Energie Atomique
ESRF: European Synchrotron
Radiation Facility
FZK: Forschungszentrum
Karlsruhe
JRC: Joint Research Centre
NILPRP: National Institute for
Lasers, Plasma and Radiation
Physics
NRG: Nuclear Research &consultancy GroupSCK-CEN: Studiecentrum
voor Kernenergie - Centred'étude de l'Energie Nucléaire
UMIST: University ofManchester Institute of
Science and Technology

Beryllium pebbles (spheres of
1 mm diameter) are foreseen
as a neutron multiplier in the
Helium Cooled Pebble Bedblanket. A reliable predictionof the retention of helium andtritium generated in beryllium
under neutron irradiation isneeded for a fusion reactor.
The ANFIBE computer code isbeing developed in the frameof an EFDA-Technology Task
in order to meet such a need.
Gas release is driven bypercolation through 3D interconnected porosities at grainboundaries. Microtomography
has recently enabled theimaging of the 3D structure ofsuch porosities and to analysethem quantitatively, in order toprovide the data needed forthe validation of the percolation
models in the ANFIBE code.

The Scientific Advisory
Committee of the meeting:
J. Baruchel (ESRF),
C. Ferrero (ESRF)
G. Janeschitz (FZK),
E. Rabaglino (FZK)
G. H. Lander, T. Wiss (JRC)
Chairmen of the meeting:
C.Ronchi (JRC), G. Janeschitz(FZK), C. Ferrero (ESRF)

EFDA Fusion Newsletter

page 8JET
The Swiss Secretary of State for Science and Research visits JET
On May 7th, the Swiss Secretary of Science and Research, Dr. C. Kleiber
accompanied by MM. C. Fischer, member of his Cabinet, and L. Berg, Headof Science and Technology at the Swiss Embassy in London, visited the JET
facility. The Swiss delegation was welcomed by the EFDA Leader, Prof. M. Q.
Tran, and by the EFDA Associate Leader for JET, Dr. J. Paméla. A presentation of EFDA and its role in the European Fusion Programme was given by
M.Q. Tran. The unique capabilities of JET for preparing ITER operation andthe scientific impact of the results were presented by J. Paméla. The way JET
is collectively used by physicsts from all over Europe, in the spirit of theEuropean Research Area, was highlighted. The presentation was followed bya tour of the facility, which allowed Dr. Kleiber and the delegation to realise thehigh level of technology required by fusion research.
Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, Director of UKAEA Fusion and Chairman of the
One of the Swiss guests welcomed at Culham, UK*CCE-FU, joined the discussion and presented the needs to develop new(from left to right): Dr. Charles Kleiber, Prof. Minh Quang Tranenergy sources to meet mankind’s need and the role of fusion in thisand Dr. Jérôme Paméla.
perspective. The road-map towards the realisation of fusion (“the fast track”)
and the on going process leading to the decision to construct ITER were discussed
between the participants. Dr. Kleiber was greatly impressed by the challenge of harness* CCE-FU means
ing fusion (“a trans-generation research” as he called it) and reaffirmed his support to the“Consultative Committee
research in this field.
for the EURATOM SpecificResearch and Training
Programme in the Field of
Nuclear Energy Fusion “

Fusion research celebrates JET's 25th anniversary
On Thursday 20 May MM. Philippe Busquin, European Commissioner for Research,
the French Ambassador and the French Minister for Research and many otherpersonalities gathered at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire (UK) to celebrate JET's
continuing role in the international quest for fusion power.
2004 is not only the 25th anniversary of the laying of JET's foundation stone, but also
the 20th anniversary of its official opening by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Major
players in the international fusion scene, ex-JET staff and representatives of the local community attending this event, looked back on JET's achievements since it started
operating in 1983 and, perhaps more importantly, looked forward to its role in future fusion
research. With the decision on where to build the next generation international fusion
device, ITER, still pending, JET is currently the largest fusion device in the world.
M. Philippe Busquin spoke of the remarkable potential of fusion for contributing to thelong-term energy supply and Europe's role at the forefront of international fusion research.
He emphasised the confidence of the European Union that it could attract ITER to Europe andreferred to Europe's readiness to adopt a broader approach in its fusion programme for the ITER
phase, with the aim of rapid progress towards the ultimate step of a demonstration reactor.
Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, Director of the UK's national fusion research programme, readout a message from Prime Minister Tony Blair, in which he congratulated all concerned on
the achievements with JET and added: " I take very seriously the problems of climatechange and security of energy supply... fusion is one of the most promising technologies
that could help solve these problems... The Government's Chief Scientific Adviser DavidKing and I are both convinced that ITER, the next step in fusion, is an essential international
endeavour and we hope to see the siting issue resolved in the next few months."

EFDA Close Support Unit - Garching
Boltzmannstr. 2
D-85748 Garching / Munich - Germany
phone: +49-89-3299-4237
fax: +49-89-3299-4197
e-mail: federico.casci@efda.org
editors: Federico Casci, Doris Lutz-Lanzinger
graphic design: Karen Jens

For more information
see our EFDA website:
http://www.efda.org

and additionally
http://www.jet.efda.org
http://www.iter.org© M.Q. Tran (EFDA Leader) 2004.
This internal newsletter or parts of it may not be reproduced without permission.
Text, pictures and layout, except where noted, courtesy of the EFDA Parties.
The EFDA Parties are the European Commission and the Associates of the European
Fusion Programme which is co-ordinated and managed by the Commission.
Neither the Commission, the Associates nor anyone acting on their behalf is responsible
for any damage resulting from the use of information contained in this publication.