The international experimental nuclear fusion reactor ITER, which aims to revolutionize energy production, has suffered a major setback.
Due to manufacturing defects, the project will experience a delay of at least eight years for its first crucial stage, and its cost will increase by several “billion” euros.
Director General’s Statement
“There is a delay, but we believe we are doing what is right to achieve the final goal with more attention to risks and minimizing the overall delay,” said ITER Director General Pietro Barabaschi during a press conference on Wednesday in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, southeastern France, where this mega-project is based.
The additional cost is expected to reach approximately 5 billion euros, he specified, for a total cost already committed estimated between 20 and 40 billion euros.
This wide range is due to the difficulty in determining the exact amount, as many contributions from the parties involved in this project are in-kind, according to management.
Manufacturing Defects
Following the discovery in 2022 of manufacturing defects in essential components of the imposing reactor under construction, Mr. Barabaschi, who had just taken over the project, was tasked by the seven members – China, South Korea, the United States, India, Japan, the European Union, and Russia – to develop a new schedule and budget.
Presented at the end of June to the ITER Council, the new plan notably includes an eight-year delay for the first crucial scientific step, the production of the “first plasma” of matter, essential for fusion. Initially planned for 2025, this step is postponed to at least 2033.
For reaching the stage of “full magnetic energy,” meaning the stable achievement of full power necessary for the future operation of the reactor, the new schedule sets the date for 2036, compared to 2033 in the initial schedule, which dated back to 2016. This delay is much smaller than for the “first plasma,” insisted Mr. Barabaschi, emphasizing the “ultimate goal.”
Funding Request and Decision
He specified that he had requested an additional “5 billion” euros from the Council, which accepted the new schedule but has yet to decide on the funding.
A decision could be made by the end of the year, according to internal sources.
Nuclear Fusion’s Promise and Challenges
Nuclear fusion, different from the fission used in current power plants, aims to replicate the physical reaction occurring in the Sun, thus providing an energy source presented as safe and waste-free.
ITER’s setbacks come at a time when university laboratories and startups have entered the race for fusion and have announced significant progress in recent months. But for Mr. Barabaschi, ITER still has its place.
G7 Support and Private Sector Involvement
The G7, of which most countries are part of ITER, reaffirmed at its last summit in mid-June in Italy the importance of fusion in the fight against climate change.
However, it also encouraged “international collaboration to accelerate the development and demonstration of fusion power plants to promote private investment and public participation.”
A statement that Mr. Barabaschi welcomes. “We need to return to the private sector what we have been able to achieve with public funds,” explains the head of ITER.
He also emphasized having recently organized a working group with private sector actors, expressing satisfaction with the arrival of new investors.
Unchanged Fundamental Objectives
“Our fundamental objectives remain unchanged: to demonstrate the integration of systems for fusion on an industrial scale,” he insists.
However, “we should not rely on nuclear fusion to solve” climate problems. “It is important to find alternative sources (of energy), and at some point, fusion will play an important role. But this delay is not going in the right direction.”