Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

No C 247 _'12_ Official Journal of the European Communities 15.9.87

## II

_(Preparatory Acts)_

# COMMISSION

Proposal for a Council Regulation adopting a research and training programme (1987 to 1991)
in the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion

_COM(87) 302 final_

_(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 28 August 1987)_

(87/C 247/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 7
thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission
presented after consultation of the Scientific and
Technical Committee,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee,

Whereas the energy problem is common to all the
Member States; whereas joint efforts to resolve this
problem are likely to produce better results; whereas
thermonuclear fusion is one possible solution to the
energy problem in the longer term; whereas the rational
use of all the different energy sources must be
coordinated; whereas the Community must therefore
continue to ensure optimum consistency in its efforts
between Community activities in the various sectors of
energy and energy research;

Whereas the Council has adopted on the
framework programme of Community activities in the
field of research and technological development (1987 to
1991) which takes into account the foregoing
considerations;

Whereas thermonuclear fusion is a potential new source
of energy using fuel which is virtually inexhaustible and
universally accessible; whereas magnetic fusion reactors
will have inherent safety features and hold the promise
of a low impact on the environment; thermonuclear
fusion forms therefore an important objective within the
framework programme;

Whereas, in its Decision 85/201/Euratom ('), the
Council adopted a research and training programme
(1985 to 1989) in the field of controlled thermonuclear

O OJ No L 83, 28. 3. 1985, p. 25.

fusion; whereas Article 3 of that Decision provides that
the Commission will, based on a review to be carried out
during the second year of that programme, submit to the
Council a revision proposal aimed at replacing the 1985
to 1989 programme with a new five-year programme in
1987 with 1987, 1988 and 1989 constituting years
common to both programmes; whereas Decision
85/201/Euratom should therefore be replaced;

Whereas, as a result of Decision 85/201/Euratom being
replaced, approximately 171 million ECU of the sum
estimated necessary for the preceding programme,
exclusive of JET (Joint European Torus), and approximately 209 million ECU of the sum estimated necessary
for the preceding programme for the JET project will
not have been used; whereas these amounts can be
assigned to the new programme; whereas such
assignment, together with the fact that the programme
embraces all work carried out in the Member States in

this field, must be taken into account in determining the
amounts estimated necessary for the execution of the

new programme;

Whereas, in view of the extent of the effort needed to
reach the stage of applications of controlled thermonuclear fusion, which could be of benefit to the
Community, the work hitherto undertaken in this field
must continue on a joint basis at its various stages of
development;

Whereas the research proposed by the Commission
constitutes an adequate means of pursuing such action
and it is, consequently, in the common interest to adopt
a multiannual programme in the field of controlled
thermonuclear fusion, the existence of which is,
moreover, necessary to enable the Community to participate in international cooperation in this field;

Whereas the strategy on which the continuation of the
programme is based should remain unchanged, namely:

— pursuit of a substantial programme oriented towards
a demonstration reactor and based at present on the
Tokamak concept; completion of the first stage of
the programme formed by the JET project with its

15.9.87 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/3

extensions and by the full exploitation of the devices
existing or under construction in the Associations,

— continuation of the predesign of the second step of
the Tokamak programme, the Next European Torus
(NET) and pursuit of the technological developments
necessary to its design and construction and of those
needed in the longer term for the fusion reactor;

— investigation, depending on the resources available,
of alternative confinement systems, concentrating on
reversed field pinches and stellarators, subject to a
periodic reassessment of their reactor potential
compared with that of the Tokamak;

Whereas this strategy should be reviewed at the next
programme revision aimed at replacing the present
programme by a new five-year programme on the
1 January 1990; at the time of this revision, it would be
appropriate to decide when to proceed to D-T operation
on JET and when to start the detailed design of NET;

Whereas the research programme of the Joint Research
Centre provides for participation by the JRC in the field
of NET and Technology;

Whereas Sweden and Switzerland are associated with

Community activities in the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion;

Whereas the Community should continue to encourage
the construction of certain equipment related to projects
having priority status, the support for JET and NET by
the Associations and certain developments in the field of
fusion technology, by granting a preferential rate of
participation in the expenditure on such projects;

Whereas the direct involvement of industry in the
implementation of the programme, in particular with
regard to NET and fusion technology, must be
strengthened;

Whereas, furthermore, the mobility of staff between
organizations cooperating in the execution of the
programme should be promoted,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

_Article 1_

A European Atomic Energy Community programme of
research and training in the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion, as defined in the Annex, is hereby
adopted for a five-year period commencing 1 January
1987.

_Article 2_

The funds estimated as being necessary for the execution
of the programme exclusive of JET amount to 533
million ECU, including expenditure on a work force of
105 staff. The funds estimated as being necessary for
JET during the duration of the programme amount to
378 million ECU including expenditure on a work force
of 191 temporary employees within the meaning of
Article 2 (a) of the conditions of employment of other
servants of the European Communities.

_Article 3_

During the course of its third year, the Commission shall
proceed to the evaluation of the programme having
regard to its objectives set out in the Annex. Following
this evaluation, the Commission shall submit to the
Council in 1989 a revision proposal designed to replace
the present programme with a five-year programme with
effect from 1 January 1990.

_Article 4_

Decision 85/201/Euratom is hereby repealed with effect
from 1 January 1987.

_Article 5_

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 1987.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and
directly applicable in all Member States.

_ANNEX_

CONTROLLED THERMONUCLEAR FUSION

1. The programme to be executed will cover:

(a) plasma physics in the sector concerned, in particular studies of a basic character relating to
confinement with suitable devices and to methods for producing and heating plasma;

(b) research into the confinement, in closed configurations, of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium plasmas
of widely varying density and temperature;

(c) research into light-matter interactions and transport phenomena and the development of high-power
lasers;

N o C 247/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 15.9. 87

(d) the development and application to confinement devices of sufficiently powerful plasma heating
methods;

(e) improvement of diagnostic methods;

(f) predesign and possibly commencement of the detailed engineering design of NET (Next European
Torus) and technological developments required for its design and construction as well as those
needed in the longer term for the fusion reactor;

(g) extension of the JET device to full performance; operation and exploitation of JET.

The work referred to in (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) will be carried out by means of associations or
limited duration contracts which are designed to yield the results necessary for the implementation of
the programme and which take into consideration the work carried out by the Joint Research Centre, in
particular in relation to NET and technology referred to in (f).

The implementation of the JET project referred to in (g) has been entrusted to the 'Joint European
Torus (JET), Joint Undertaking', established by Decision 78/471/Euratom (').

2. The programme set out in point 1 forms part of a long-term cooperative project embracing all activities
undertaken in the Member States in the field of controlled magnetic thermonuclear fusion. It is designed
to lead in due course to the joint construction of prototypes with a view to their industrial production
and marketing.

3. The amount of 533 million ECU estimated as being necessary for the execution of the programme
exclusive of JET is intended to finance:

(a) priority projects at a uniform rate of approximately 45 %, as specified in paragraph 4;

(b) running expenditure of the associations at a uniform rate of approximately 25 %;

(c) certain industrial contracts in the fields of 'NET/fusion technology' and the development of
advanced plasma heating methods at a rate of 100 %, as defined in paragraph 4;

(d) administration costs and expenditure intended to ensure the mobility of staff to enable them to work
in organizations cooperating in the implementation of the programme and in the NET Team;

(e) operational costs of the NET Team at a rate of approximately 75 %.

Any positive balance from the contributions of associated third countries (Sweden and Switzerland)
under the programme exclusive of JET, shall be devoted to the financial participation by the
Community in the expenditure referred to in paragraph 3.

4. After consulting the Consultative Committee of the Fusion Programme the Commission may finance at
a uniform rate of about 45 % as specified in paragraph 3 (a) projects belonging to one of the following

areas:

(a) Tokamak systems and support for JET;

(b) other toroidal machines;

(c) heating and injection;

(d) NET and fusion technology.

If such projects belong to areas (c) and (d) and if they are carried out by Industry the Commission may
finance them at a rate of 100 % as specified in paragraph 3 (c).

In return, all Associations shall have the right to take part in the experiments carried out with the
equipment thus constructed.

5. The total contributions of the Members of the JET Joint Undertaking required to finance JET's
payments during the programme period 1987 to 1991 are estimated at 531 million ECU. They are
intended to cover the extension of the JET device to full performance and its operation and
exploitation. According to the Statutes of JET, 80 °/o of this amount, equal to 425 million ECU, are
financed through the Community budget. Out of this amount, 19 million ECU have been committed by
the Commission prior to 1987. The remaining 406 million ECU will be financed as follows:

— 378 million ECU from the Programme allocation for JET,

— 28 million ECU as the participation to JET of Sweden and Switzerland paid via the Community
budget.

0) OJ No L 151, 7. 6. 1978, p.10.