The ITER Council – the project’s governing body – held its latest meeting on 17-18 June 2008 in Japan. The Council approved the extensive design review undertaken by the ITER team, formalising the start date of operations at 2018, whilst recognising the significant progress that has been made in site preparation and building the project team.

ITER Council in Japan

The key item on the agenda was a discussion of the implications of the design review, for the scope, schedule and cost of the project. The Council approved the new Project Specification proposed by the ITER Organization. This details ITER’s scientific goals and technical parameters. The Council also agreed, for planning purposes, the revised Overall Project Schedule with a target date of 2018 for first plasma.

The Council received the revised Project Plan and Resource Estimates from the ITER Organization. The Council agreed that the resource estimates should be independently assessed by an international group of experts, headed by Dr Frank Briscoe (formerly Operations Director at UKAEA Culham).

The Council also approved the conditions for accession of an eighth state during the early ITER Construction Phase and also approved the start of formal interactions with Kazakhstan as a potential new party to the ITER Agreement on this basis, subject to approval by all member governments. It was also agreed that representatives from Kazakhstan could participate as observers in meetings convened by the ITER Organization prior to possible accession.

More ITER news at: www.iter.org