The ITER Staged Approach Research Plan 2018

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Background Information and Reviews of the U. S. and World Fusion Program

• Final Report of the Committee on a Strategic Plan For U.S. Burning Plasma Research (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) posted December 13, 2018 @ 2:00 pm EST
  
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee Meeting will be held December 6-7, 2018 at the Canopy by Hilton, 940 Rose Avenue, North Bethesda, MD 20852. The meeting will also be webcast.   Updated December 3, 2018
  
• Fusion Power Associates 39th Annual Meeting, Strategies and Expectations Through the 2020s will be held December 4-5, 2018, at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel,1000 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 November 21, 2018
• The 2018 University Fusion Association General Meeting was held November 5, 2018 at the annual APS-DPP meeting in Portland, Oregon November 15, 2018
• University Fusion Association Activities, David Maurer, UFA President, Auburn University
• Fusion Energy Sciences Perspectives & Plans: James Van Dam, Acting Associate Director, Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences
• A Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research “Comments”: Mike Mauel, Columbia University, Co-Chair
  
• DIII-D Plasma Science Frontiers Run Time: Troy Carter Advisory Committee Chair FY18
  
• The 27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2018) was held 22–27 October 2018 in Gandhinagar India.  Almost 900 papers were presented by nearly 1,200 attendees. Abstracts of all papers are available. The proceedings of the conference will be available at a later time on an IAEA FEC web page. The presentation slides for a number of papers of interest to the FIRE web master are available below. If others would like their slides posted, please send a copy to the FIRE web master.  These reports represent work in progress and should not be quoted without permission from the author. Questions and comments should be directed to the authors.   Updated November 12, 2018
• OV/1-3: Overview of the JET Preparation for Deuterium-Tritium Operation, E. Joffrin, France, to be published in Nuclear Fusion 2018.
  
• OV/2-2: Recent Advances in EAST Physics Experiments in Support of Steady-State Operation for ITER and CFETR, B. N. Wan, China, P. R.
• OV/2-3: Overview of the KSTAR Research Progress and Future Plan Toward ITER and K-DEMO, H. K. Park, et al.
  
• OV/2-4: Overview of Research Results from the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak, E. S. Marmar, USA
• OV/3-1: Progress of JT-60SA Project, P. Barabaschi, F4E
• OV/3-2: Progress of the CFETR Design, G. Zhuang, China, P. R.
• EX/P1-6: Singlet Breakdown Optimization to a Doublet Plasma Configuration on the TCV Tokamak, B. P. Duval, Switzerland
• EX/P1: High Fusion Performance at High Ti /Te  in JET-ILW  Baseline Plasmas with High NBI Heating Power and Low Gas Puffing, H.-T. Kim, UK
• EX/P1-12: The Concept of Lithium Based Plasma Facing Elements for Steady State Fusion Tokamak-Reactor and its Experimental Validation, A. Vertkov, Russian Fed.
• OV/4-1: Overview of First Wendelstein 7-X High-Performance Operation with Island Divertor, T. Klinger, Germany
• OV/4-2: Overview of the First Deuterium Experiment in LHD, T. Morisaki, Japan
• OV/5-2: Physics Research on the TCV Tokamak Facility: From Conventional to Alternative Scenarios and Beyond, S. Coda, Switzerland
• IFE/1-3: Liquid DT Layer Approach to Inertial Confinement Fusion, R. Olson et al, LANL, USA
• EX/2-4: High Fusion Performance in Super H-Mode Experiments on Alcator C-Mod and DIII-D, P. B. Snyder, USA
• FIP/P3-25: Global Supply of Tritium for Fusion R&D, M. Coleman, UK,
• FIP/P3-26: The Advanced Tokamak Path to a Compact Net Electric Pilot Plant, J. M. Park, USA
• TH/P5-31: Negative Triangularity Effects on Tokamak MHD Stability, L. J. Zheng USA
  
• FIP/3-4: Impact of High Field & High Confinement on L-Mode-Edge Negative Triangularity Tokamak (NTT) Reactor, M. Kikuchi, Japan
• EX/P6-6: High Confinement in Negative Triangularity Discharges in DIII-D, M. E. Austin, USA
• EX/9-1: First Divertor Physics Studies in Wendelstein 7-X, T. Sunn Pedersen, Germany
  
• The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine will conduct the Decadal Assessment of Plasma Science. This will include a study of the past progress and future promise of plasma science and technology and provide recommendations to balance the objectives of the field in a sustainable and healthy manner over the long term.  The first meeting of the committee is October 15-16, 2018 at the Keck Center, Room 101 Washington, DC. October 12, 2018
• Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPPL) designated an historic mechanical engineering site by American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME): The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) on Oct. 5 presented the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) with an engraved plaque designating the Laboratory an ASME historic mechanical engineering landmark for its achievements in the quest to develop magnetically controlled fusion energy. The ASME, which “promotes the art, science and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe,” recognized  the Laboratory for its entire body of mechanical engineering achievements since 1951,  October 5, 2018
• President Trump has signed into law the FY 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill which includes increased funding of ≈ 5% for DOE Office of Science and ≈ 6% for the Office of Fusion Energy Science.  See September 11-13, 2018 FIRE posts for more details. September 24, 2018
• The most recent version of the ITER Research Plan has just been made publically available by the ITER Organization.  The 400-page document describes the present vision for operating the ITER Tokamak from First Plasma through high-fusion-gain deuterium-tritium operation.September 17, 2018
• ‘No deal’ Brexit would leave UK science staring down a barrel (Chemistry World, September 13, 2018) : There’s just as much uncertainty surrounding nuclear research after the government’s decision to leave the European nuclear body, Euratom. Euratom’s current research and training programme is expected to be extended by the EU until 2020, and the government is offering the same underwriting guarantee as for Horizon 2020 projects. But if there’s no deal and the UK is no longer a member of Euratom, or Fusion for Energy, it will no longer be able to collaborate on ITER, the project to build the world’s largest experimental fusion reactor.----- ‘When I’ve raised this – [the government] always say we will buy into ITER. How much will it cost? … I’ve never seen any figure quoted.’ The US and Japan, he notes, are paying billions to take part in ITER. September 15, 2018
• Congress sends Trump energy spending bill that includes healthy boost for science (ScienceNews, A Cho, Sep. 13, 2018): The U.S. Congress today sent President Donald Trump a 2019 spending bill that boosts funding for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) basic research efforts—and rejects deep cuts to the department’s applied research programs that the White House had proposed. September 13, 2018
• Congress Poised to Boost DOE Research with Punctual Spending Bill ( AIP/FYI, September 11, 2018): Congress has finalized a spending bill for fiscal year 2019 that would raise the Department of Energy Office of Science’s budget by 5 percent and the department’s applied research offices’ budgets by between 2 and 10 percent. If enacted quickly, as expected, the legislation will provide DOE with on-time funding for the first time in two decades.  Excellent summary and analysis by Office and Program. September 11, 2018
• Senate-House Conference Committee recommends $546 million in FY19 for the US fusion Energy Sciences program, an increase of 6 % relative to the FY18 Appropriation of $532.111 million, The domestic fusion program would increase 5.3% from $410.111 million in FY18 to $432 million in FY19 and funding for U. S. contributions to ITER would increase 8.2% from $122 million in FY18 to $132 million in FY19 with no further direction. The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee is directed to work with the Office of Nuclear Energy to review establishing a reactor concepts research, development, and deployment activity. The Department is directed to provide to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act a briefing on a recommendation, which if supported, will include a technical plan, program and eligibility requirements, and funding profile for future fiscal years.  September 11, 2018
• UK government outlines implications of "no deal" Brexit (World Nuclear news, August 24, 2018): Introducing the first 25 of a series of technical notices yesterday, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab said reaching an agreement before the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 remained the government's "overriding" priority. Although a so-called "no deal Brexit" was unlikely, "[w]e have a duty, as a responsible government, to plan for every eventuality," he said.  The implications for JET, ITER and future UK participation are described. August 25, 2018
• Will doubling magnetic field strength halve the time to fusion energy?  (Physics Today, David Kramer, August, 2018): Two spin-off companies, one in the US and the other in the UK, hope to beat ITER, the massive seven-nation undertaking, by 10 years or more in proving that fusion is a viable energy source. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Tokamak Energy (TE) near Oxford, UK, each plan to build, by the mid 2020s, devices that can produce more energy than they consume. That’s a decade or more before ITER is expected to attain that milestone. If either company succeeds, fusion power plants could be a reality as early as 2030, say scientists from the two firms.  August 14, 2018
• UK’s access to European funding under threat from ‘third-country’ status (Physics World, Michael Banks, 04 Jul 2018 ): The European Commission is proposing to spend €100bn on science over seven years from 2021, but will the UK see any of the cash now it is quitting the EU? The UK’s possible third-country status means it could lose access to a lot of extra funding. Indeed, UK scientists have done exceptionally well from EU research programmes. Estimates suggest the UK contributed €5.4bn between 2007 and 2013, but got back €8.8bn.  July 4, 2018  (Posted August 22, 2018)
  
•  22nd ITER Council Meeting (21 June 2018) affirms project progress to achieve First Plasma in 2025. Based on the latest performance metrics, project execution to achieve First Plasma is over 55% complete.  The Council held candid discussions acknowledging the  efforts  made by  each  Member  to  reach  approval  of  the  2016  Baseline. China,  Europe,  Japan,  Korea  and Russia have completed their internal consultation procedures and are ready to approve the 2016 Baseline Schedule, but India and the United States are not ready. The Council reaffirmed the importance of all ITER Members meeting their annual in-kind  and in-cash  commitments  on  a  timely  basis to  enable  successful  implementation  of  the refinements to the construction strategy and 2016 Baseline and to achieve First Plasma in 2025.  There is no Baseline schedule, only a tentative planning schedule, the construction activities required after first plasma to begin DT operation in the 2035 to 2038 time frame.June 22, 2018
• 23rd International Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions in Controlled Fusion Devices Princeton University, NJ, USA, 17-22 June 2018  June 19, 2018
•  In a low-carbon future,  where does fusion fit in?  Keynote Address- Professor Robert Socolow, Princeton University
• Fusion Energy via Magnetic Confinement: An Energy Technology Distillate from the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University, R Socolow Faculty mentor.
• Divertor Plasma Detachment: Past and Future Review - Sergei Krasheninnikov, UCSD
  
• The Senate Committee on Appropriations recommends $425,000,000 for Fusion Energy Sciences.  U.S. Contribution to ITER.--The Committee recommends $122,000,000 for the in-kind contributions and related support activities of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [ITER] project. The Committee does not recommended funding for the cash contribution.  This recommendation would result in a 26% decrease in the U.S. domestic fusion budget relative to the  enacted FY18 Fusion budget, while U. S. contributions to ITER would remain constant.  The Committee recommends not less than $7,000,000 for the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment and not less than $92,500,000 for DIII–D. The Committee directs the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee to review establishing a reactor concepts research, development, and deployment activity. Within 180 days after enactment of this act, the Department is directed to brief the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress on a recommendation, which if supported, will include a technical plan, program and eligibility requirements, and funding profile for future fiscal years. May 28, 2018
• Senate Subcommittee Approves FY2019 Energy & Water Development Appropriations Bill (May 22, 2018).  The FY2019 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill totals $43.766 billion, $566 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $7.24 billion above the budget request. Science Research is allocated $6.65 billion for the DOE Office of Science, $390 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $1.26 billion above the budget request.  The Subcommittee Energy and Water Development bill is scheduled to be considered Thursday (May 24, 2018) by the full Senate Appropriations Committee. May 23, 2018
  
• The House Appropriations Committee will mark up the FY19 Energy and Water Development Bill at 10:00 am on May 16, 2018.  The Energy and Water Appropriations Sub-Committee recommends $281,704,000 for burning plasma science foundations, $61,246,000 for burning plasma science long pulse, and $84,050,000 for discovery plasma science. Within available funds, the recommendation provides $18,000,000 for High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas, $25,000,000 for Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing, $2,500,000 to provide upgrades to the Safety and Tritium Applied Research facility, and $7,000,000 for the Materials Plasma Exposure Experiment. The Sub-Committee also recommends $163,000,000 for the U.S. contribution to the ITER project. The Committee continues to believe the ITER project represents an important step forward for energy sciences and has the potential to revolutionize the current understanding of fusion energy. The US Domestic Fusion Program would increase by 4%, ITER by 34% and the total US Fusion Program by 11%. May 15, 2018, Updated 7:40 pm
  
• The House Appropriations Committee released a subcommittee draft of the fiscal year 2019 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill on May 6, 2018.  The draft bill includes $6.6 billion for science research – an increase of $340 million (+5%) above the 2018 enacted level. This funding supports basic energy research, the development of high-performance computing systems, and research into the next generation of energy sources. Again, this bill was marked up on May7, 2018 and is not yet finalized. May 8, 2018
  
• ITER disputes DOE’s cost estimate of fusion project: The US Department of Energy has nearly tripled its cost estimate for ITER, the fusion test reactor in France that’s being constructed by a seven-party international collaboration, to $65 billion. Paul Dabbar, DOE undersecretary for science, provided the (1:09:00 on video) estimate to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on energy and water development on 11 April. The $65 billion covers construction alone, he said; annual operating costs once experimental operations begin in 2025 aren’t included. Note: the cost of the US 9.09% contribution to ITER construction is estimated by DOE to between $4.7B and $6.5B including contingency.  This implies a total ITER construction cost for ITER built by the U. S. would be in the range of $52B to $72B. Posted April 23, 2018
• On April 18, 2018, the European Parliament will Debate and Vote on Closure of FY 2016 accounts including ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy Joint Undertaking [Rapporteur: Brian Hayes (EPP IR)].  (Archive PDF copy)  April 14, 2018
• EU contribution to a reformed ITER project: Report from EU Commission to EU Parliament.  The total European contribution is 45.45% of total ITER Project Construction Costs.  The joint contribution from the EU budget, France as Host State and the Members of Fusion for Energy is identified as the Euratom budget in Table 2 page 10.  The  Euratom  contribution to ITER construction to 1st DT operation in 2036 is 16.5 billion euros Table 2, page 10).  This implies a total ITER Construction cost of  building ITER by Europe of ≈ 36.3 billion euros (~$40B using 1.1$/euro) without contingency. The Commission estimates that a contingency of up to 24 months in terms of schedule and 10-20% in terms budget would be appropriate (page 13). This would increase the inferred total cost of ITER built by Europe  to be in the range of 40 to 44 billion euros.  Updated April 26, 2018  (see July 3, 2017 post)
  
• The most recent DOE cost estimate of the US 9.09% contribution to ITER construction has been estimated (Page 7) to cost between $4.7B to $6.5B.  This implies a total ITER Construction cost for the U.S. to build ITER  ranging from $52B to $71B including contingency.  (See July 3, 2017 post)
  
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research will hold its 10th meeting on April 11, 2018 - April 13, 2018 at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL),  Princeton, NJ.    The public sessions will be webcast- see prior link for instructions on how to participate remotely.   Public input to the Committee is also available online.   April 12, 2018
  
•  PPPL Long-term Fusion Vision, Strategy, and Role: M. Zarnstorff, PPPL
  
• Options and Strategies towards Fusion Net-Electricity: Jon Menard, PPPL 
• NSTX-U: An Essential Science Facility for US Fusion Innovation: , Stefan Gerhardt, PPPL 
• Upside Potential for Controlling Fusion: Nat Fisch, PPPL
• SPARC: A Critical Step On The High-Magnetic-Field Path To Practical Fusion Energy: MIT & CFS Teams: Presented by Martin Greenwald
  
• A new approach to funding, accelerating, and commercializing fusion:  R. Mumgaard,CEO -Commonwealth Fusion Systems
• High Field Superconducting Magnets - Promises and Challenges: S. Prestemon, LBNL
  
• Plasma-Materials and Divertor Options for Fusion: J. Rapp, VLT/ORNL
  
• First-wall, plasma-material interaction, and liquid metals, for fusion: Mike Jaworski, PPPL
  
• Divertor Test Tokamak to be built at Frascati (Physics World Apr 5, 2018): A site near Rome has beaten eight other locations in Italy to host the €500m Divertor Tokamak Test Facility (DTT). The ENEA notes the project will take seven years to build, and that around 1500 people will be involved in building the DTT. The project is funded by €60m from Eurofusion, a consortium of European research organizations, while another €80m will come from the Italian government. The Lazio regional government will supply €25m while China will provide €30m and ENEA partners another €50m. The remaining €250m will come from the European Investment Bank via a loan.April 6, 2018
• Fusion energy using tokamaks: can development be accelerated? The Royal Society held a scientific meeting with this topic on March 26-27 2018. Posted April 2, 2018
• Congress gives science a record funding boost (Science, Jeffrey Mervis et al): Researchers are ecstatic over the $4.8 billion increase that the U.S. Congress showered on nine leading civilian science agencies last week. But their joy may be short-lived. The good news stems largely from a government-wide budget deal that allowed lawmakers to lift mandatory spending caps on discretionary accounts by a cumulative $300 billion over 2 years. But there's a string attached: Most of the additional civilian spending occurs in the first year, 2018, meaning that researchers shouldn't expect a repeat of this year's windfall in fiscal 2019, which starts on 1 October 2018.  March 30, 2018
  
• The FY2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill and Report released on March 21, 2018 was signed today by the President.   For Fusion Energy Sciences there would be $410.1M for the domestic magnetic fusion research program and $122M for ITER.  A total of $532.1 M for FY 2018, up from $380 M enacted in FY 2017. March 23, 2018
• The 8th meeting of the NASEM Burning Plasma Strategy Committee was an open video meeting today March 23 from 11:00 AM - 1:00PM EDT on "Stellarator Research Strategy".  March 23, 2018
• A vision for an experimental stellarator program in the U.S. that is a slingshot for a stellarator DT device - Oliver Schmitz, Univ Wisc
• U.S. Research on International Stellarators - Sam Lazerson, PPPL Updated March 26, 2018
  
• "For the first time in over a half century, U.S. S&T leadership is threatened," Zuber (chair of NSF’s governing board and vice president for research at MIT) warned. "As we look at the world in 2018, we find ourselves at an ‘all hands on deck’ moment. If we do not lead the global science and technology enterprise, China will. She noted that the board recently issued a statement highlighting that if current spending trajectories hold, China will pass the U.S. in total R&D expenditures sometime this year. March 21, 2018
• The 8th meeting of the NAS Burning Plasma Strategy Committee will be an open video meeting this Friday from 11:00 AM - 1:00PM EDT. The title of the meeting is "Stellarator Research Strategy”. Agenda and instructions for remote participation. March 20, 2018
• MIT and newly formed company launch novel approach to fusion power (David Chandler, MIT News Office, March 9, 2018): Goal is for research to produce a working pilot plant within 15 years. Development of this carbon-free, combustion-free source of energy is now on a faster track toward realization, thanks to a collaboration between MIT and a new private company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems. CFS will join with MIT to carry out rapid, staged research leading to a new generation of fusion experiments and power plants based on advances in high-temperature superconductors - work made possible by decades of federal government funding for basic research. March 9, 2018
  
• MIT launches multimillion-dollar collaboration to develop fusion energy (Nature Jeff Tollefson March 9, 2018): With corporate participation, researchers seek to build a pilot fusion energy plant within 15 years.
  
• MIT says nuclear fusion as a practical energy source is less than two decades away, (The Boston Globe March 9, 2018):
  
• A new approach to fusion energy starts today  (FireNewsFeed,  March 9, 2018)
  
• Video of The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy Hearing on The Future of U.S. Fusion Energy Research on held March 6, 2018. Updated March 9, 2018.  The purpose of the hearing was to explore the status of basic research on nuclear fusion energy including U.S. international partnerships, domestic research programs, and private sector innovation. This hearing will specifically examine U.S. participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in France, an international initiative to build the world’s largest tokamak reactor, and address the current status of ITER engineering, construction, and management.  The witnesses and their statements are:
• Dr. Bernard Bigot, statement director-general, ITER Organization
• Dr. James W. Van Dam, statement acting associate director, Fusion Energy Sciences, Office of Science, Department of Energy
• Dr. Mickey Wade, statement director of advanced fusion systems, Magnetic Fusion Energy Division, General Atomics
• Dr. Mark Herrmann, statement director, National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research held its 5th public meeting on February 26-28, 2018 at General Atomics in San Diego, CA.  Public input to the Committee is also available.   February 27, 2018
• A Mission to Discover the Plasma Solutions for Future Fusion Reactors: Richard J. Buttery, General Atomics
• Research Plans of the DIII-D National Team: David Hill, General Atomics  Requested 2/28/2018
  
• A Fusion Program Strategy for Timely Fusion Energy Deployment: Mickey Wade, General Atomics
• Research and Development Policy on Fusion Energy in Japan: Yuichi Ogawa, University of Tokyo 
• Korean Fusion Energy Development Strategy:Yong-Seok Hwang, Seoul National University
• On TAE’s Path to Fusion, A Private-Sector Perspective: Michl Binderbauer, Tri-Alpha Energy Technologies Updated March 9, 2018
• Challenges and Strategy for Development of FNST: Blanket/FW & Tritium Fuel Cycle: Mohamed Abdou, UCLA
• Chinese Fusion Energy Strategy: Jiangang Li, Institute of Plasma Physics, CAS
  
• FY 2019 Budget details for fusion are now available.  Also details for the Office of Science FY 2019 Budget are available. February 23, 2018
• FY19 Trump Budget Cuts Some Science Agencies, Spares Others Following Deal to Raise Spending (AIP/FYI-The Week Ahead, Feb 12, 2018) 
• FY19 Budget Request: DOE Office of Science Prioritizes Quantum Science and Exascale Computing (AIP/FYI, M. Ambrose, Feb 28, 2018): Five program offices would experience topline cuts, with the brunt falling on Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, and High Energy Physics. February 27, 2018
• Details for the Office of Science FY 2019 Budget are available
• FY 2019 Budget details for fusion are now available
• Additional Information on FY19 DOE Budgets for Fusion Energy have been released.  (see page 58 for MFE info and page 20-21 for ICF info).  The US Domestic fusion program is reduced from $330 enacted in FY17 to $265M in FY19, a 20% reduction of $65M.  ITER funding is increased from $50M enacted in FY17 to $75M in FY19, a 50% increase of $25M. Both the MFE domestic and ITER programs are far below critical funding levels. The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield program is reduced from $522.6M enacted in FY17 to $418.9M in FY19, a 20% decrease of $104M. Additional details are expected by early next week. Updated February 15, 2018
• The DOE FY 2019 Budget released today lists $340M for Fusion Energy Sciences including $75M for ITER. This would leave $275M for the US domestic program, a roughly 15% reduction from the present FY 2018 CR level of about $317M. The Fact Sheet apparently includes items included in the recent 2-Year Budget agreement that arrived too late to be included in the main body of the printed DOE FY19 Budget. The original FY19 budget had $172M for US fusion research and no mention of funding for ITER (see page 8).  
• First take: Trump’s 2019 budget not as disastrous for science as it first appears (Science, Malakoff, Feb 12, 2018)
• Trump FY19 Budget Spares Some Science Agencies, Slashes Others Following Deal to Boost Spending (FYI/AIP –Henry, February 14, 2018) Updated February 14, 2018
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research held its 4th public meeting on February 1-2, 2018 at ITER Headquarters in Cadarache, France Updated February 16, 2018
• Agenda
• Foundation of the EUROfusion Consortium Sibylle Guenter, Max Planck IPP ;  Public Information Requested Feb 6, 2018
  
• Strategic Plan of the European Fusion Consortium Tony Donné, EUROFusion ; Public Information Requested Feb 6, 2018
• European DEMO design activities Gianfranco Federici, EUROfusion
• Overview of ITER Project and International Organization Bernard Bigot, Director-General,
  
• The Science of ITER Tim Luce, Head of Science and Operations, ITER
• ITER Engineering Science and Breakthroughs Gyung-Su Lee, Deputy Director-General, ITER
• Project Management Hans-Henrich Altfeld, Head of Project Control Office, ITER
  
  
• The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) met Feb 1-2, 2018 in Gaithersburg, MD  Updated February 5, 2018
  
• Agenda
• Office of Science Perspective:  Dr Stephen Binkley, Deputy Director for Science Programs, Office of Science
  
• Quantum Information Science: Dr Stephen Binkley, Deputy Director for Science Programs, Office of Science
• Highlights of Fusion Energy Sciences Research on the 40th Anniversary of the DOE Office of Science: Prof. Gerald Navratil, Columbia University
• DOE/FES Perspective: Dr James Van Dam, Acting Associate Director for Fusion Energy Sciences
• Report of the FESAC Subcommittee on Transformative Enabling Capabilities: Dr Rajesh Maingi, PPPL
• Report of the NAS Committee on a Strategic Plan for US Burning Plasma Research: Prof. Michael Mauel, Columbia University and Prof. Melvyn Shochet, University of Chicago
• 2017 US Magnetic Fusion Research Directions Workshops: Dr. Mickey Wade, General Atomics
  
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has released the Interim Report on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research.  December 22, 2017
  
• Charge for NASEM Study on a Strategic Plan for U. S. Burning Plasma Research 
• 
  
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research held its 3rd public meeting on December 15-16, 2017 in Austin, TX, December 18, 2017 
• Charge for NASEM Study on a Strategic Plan for U. S. Burning Plasma Research
  
• Agenda for the 3rd public meeting of NASEM Fusion Strategic Plan Committee
• Public Presentations 
  
• Further Context for NASEM Burning Plasma Study: James W. Van Dam, Acting Associate Director, Fusion Energy Sciences, Office of Science
• The Road Not Taken -- Yet: Dennis Whyte, for MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center  Updated December 20, 2017
  
• Strategic Plan for Burning Plasma Research:  Richard Hawryluk, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
  
• DOE Announces Plan to Modernize Department( December 15, 2017): Under the new plan, the current office of Under Secretary for Science and Energy (established in 2013 during Secretary Moniz’s tenure) will be separated into two Under Secretary positions so that there will once again be three Under Secretaries: the Under Secretary of Energy; the Under Secretary for Science; and the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator, as is consistent with DOE’s statutory mandate. The Under Secretary of Energy will focus on energy policy, applied energy technologies, energy security and reliability, and certain DOE-wide management functions, while the Under Secretary for Science will focus on supporting innovation, basic scientific research, and environmental cleanup. In addition, elements of the current Under Secretary for Management and Performance’s portfolio will fall under the responsibility of the Deputy Secretary of Energy. December 15, 2017
• The ITER Project Office announced today that the first phase of the ITER construction project has now completed 50% of the work required to produce a first non-fusion plasma test in the 2025 to 2028 time frame.  The ITER construction project would then resume and, is anticipated to be completed for full experimental capability with fusion power production operation beginning in the 2035 to 2038 time frame.  The full fusion power capability of 500MW for 400 seconds is expected to be achieved by about 2040.  The U. S. is contributing 9.1% of the total construction cost of ITER.  As of 2017, the U. S. has spent about $1.2B with an additional US cost of presently estimated to be $3.5B to $5.3B  required for completion of ITER construction. December 6, 2017
• The  official European Union Commission and US Department of Energy documents provide details on the estimated annual budget requirements and anticipated schedule for the ITER Construction Project from 2017 to completion of construction activities in ~2038.
• The Chinese government announced today (December 5, 2017) that they have approved funding for the engineering design and supporting R&D of the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor(CFETR).  More details to follow. December 5, 2017
• At its Twenty-First Meeting on 15 and 16 November 2017, the ITER Council reviewed a detailed set of reports and indicators covering both organizational and technical performance. Despite the extremely demanding construction and manufacturing schedule, and the challenging technical requirements of the ITER Tokamak and support systems, the ITER Project continues its strong performance, and remains on schedule for First Plasma in 2025.  November 16, 2017
  
• Paul Dabbar, of New York, was confirmed on November 2, 2017 to be Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy.  He replaces Franklin M. Orr, Jr November 3, 2017
• 5 Incredible Advances Science Could Buy With The Government's $600B Military Budget (Forbes Nov 1, 2017): #1. The ultimate energy breakthrough: a net-energy-producing nuclear fusion reactor. Yet in many ways, the only thing preventing fusion power from permeating through our world today is this up-front investment with an incredible long-term payoff. For the cost of the military's budget for just a single year, we could not only achieve nuclear fusion, we could learn to scale it and revolutionize how we deal with power and energy on Earth. It's the ultimate holy grail for energy, and the greatest barrier to its success isn't physics, but a lack of investment. November 1, 2017
  
• United States blocks Iran from fusion megaproject (Science Oct 31, 2017, R. Stone ): The Iran nuclear deal was meant to usher in a new era of science cooperation between the Islamic republic and other parties to the landmark agreement, which deters the country from pursuing nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief. Science has learned that the United States has frozen Iran out of a collaboration that the deal expressly brokered: ITER, the multibillion-dollar fusion experiment in France. October 31,  2017  
• 59th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics was held October 23 - 27, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. About 1,790 attendees submitted ~1,867 abstracts. Below is a small sampling of topics discussed. October 27,  2017 posted November 2, 2017
  
• Presentations
  
• The Science Case for High Field Fusion: Dennis Whyte, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (revised June 7, 2018)
  
• Alcator C-Mod Overview
  
• DIII-D Overview
  
• NSTX Overview
  
• University Fusion Associates Meeting (October 23, 2017)
• Update on the Fusion Energy Science Program: James Van Dam, Acting Associate Director, Office of Science, Fusion Energy Science
  
• A Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research Update and Schedule: NAS Study: Michael Mauel, Columbia University and Mel Shochet, University of Chicago, co-chairs
  
• Update on the Ongoing Community Workshop Process: D. Maurer, J. Menard and  M. Wade
  
• Necessary and sufficient conditions for practical fusion power (Letter to Physics Today, October 2017  Robert L. Hirsch with response by Steve Cowley):   Fusion energy research must not only solve one of humankind’s most difficult challenges, but in the end must also provide a fusion power plant that will be practical and economically competitive with other environmentally benign energy sources. October 9,  2017  (posted November 1, 2017)
  
• The 2nd Community Workshop on U.S. Magnetic Fusion Research Strategic Directions will be held December 11-15, 2017 at the University of Texas, Austin, The primary goal of the Austin workshop will be to discuss, debate, and develop critical information required for the timely development of a strategic plan including program mission and goals, and the importance of various strategic program elements needed to achieve those goals. October 4,  2017  
• DOE  Office of Science Celebrates 40 Years of Research Milestones: To celebrate the Department of Energy’s 40th Anniversary, the Office of Science has collected 40 major papers from the past 40 years that we’ve supported via research through our national Laboratories, user facilities, and grants programs.  These papers are a cream-of-the-crop selection that has changed the face of science. September 5, 2017
• The National Academy of Science Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research held its 2nd public meeting on August 29-31  August 30, 2017
• Charge for NAS Study on a Strategic Plan for U. S. Burning Plasma Research
• Agenda for the 2nd public meeting of NAS Fusion Strategic Plan Committee at Beckman Center of the National Academy, Irvine, CA
  
• Perspectives from the U.S. ITER Project: Ned Sauthoff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Updated August 30, 2017
• Perspectives from the ITER Organization: Bernard Bigot, ITER Organization Director General (by video) Updated September 4, 2017
• A Reinvigorated US Fusion Energy Program: Stewart Prager, Princeton University
• Perspective on Fusion Energy Strategy: Tony Taylor, General Atomics Updated August 30, 2017
• Perspectives from University Fusion Associates: David Maurer, Auburn University
  
• Perspectives from the Virtual Laboratory for Technology: Phil Ferguson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  
• Management changes in U. S Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES): Effective August 6, 2017, James (“Jim”) Van Dam assumes responsibility as acting Associate Director for the Office of Fusion Energy Science. August 8, 2017
• Mr. Dan Brouillette was sworn in as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy on August 7, 2017,  August 8, 2017
  
• Trump’s DOE Under Secretary Nominees Could Reshape Department’s R&D Strategy (AIP/FYI, August 2, 2017): Paul Dabbar and Mark Menezes, President Trump’s nominees the two open under secretary positions in the Department of Energy, are awaiting confirmation. DOE is currently considering reconfiguring the positions’ responsibilities, with potential implications for how the department coordinates its R&D portfolio. August 2, 2017
• A U. S. Magnetic Fusion Community Workshop on Strategic Directions for U.S. Magnetic Fusion Research  was held at the University of Wisconsin July 24-28, 2017:  About 115 participants met to discuss future opportunities for the US fusion program in preparation for providing input to the National Academy of Sciences study now underway.  About 90 White Papers were submitted with 43 presentations at plenary sessions.  A second workshop will be held December 11-15, 2017 in Austin, TX. July 29, 2017
• University of Wyoming Names Synakowski VP for Research and Economic Development July 21, 2017 : UW Vice President for Research and Economic Development Edmund “Ed” Synakowski, an accomplished physics researcher who directs the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Sciences office has been chosen as the University of Wyoming’s vice president for research and economic development.  Edmund “Ed” Synakowski will begin at UW Aug. 8, succeeding longtime Vice President Bill Gern, who is retiring. Synakowski also will be a professor in the UW Department of Physics and Astronomy. July 21, 2017
• The Senate Appropriations Committee recommends $232,000,000 for Fusion Energy Sciences in FY18. The Committee recommends no funding for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [ITER] project, as this funding would come at the expense of other Office of Science priorities. The Committee recommends the Department prioritize operations and research for DIII-D tokomak facility.  The Committee remains concerned about the timeline of facility repair and recovery actions for the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade [NSTX-U], as operations have ceased through at least fiscal year 2019. The Committee directs the Department to assess science drivers for the NSTX-U to support future planning and reconfiguration for the Fusion Energy Sciences program, and provide a briefing to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress upon completion. The Committee supports continued research in the Fusion Energy Sciences Program on High Energy Density Plasmas and recognizes the partnerships between the laboratories and research universities to address the critical need for skilled graduates to replace an aging workforce. July 21, 2017
• Brexit threatens Britain’s place at the nuclear top table (The Guardian, Ian Chapman, July 15, 2016)  The UK is currently a world leader in fusion research; leaving Euratom would be calamitous. July 16, 2017
• The FESAC Transformative Enabling Capabilities (TEC) subcommittee for Plasma-Materials Interaction will be holding its third Community input meeting at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, July 20-21.  July 16, 2017
• Theory and Simulation of Disruptions Workshop July 17-19, 2017 will be held at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory July 16, 2017
• ITER Disruption Mitigation System (DMS) Workshop Report: Cadarache  8-10 March, 2017,  Michael Lehnen (ITER) and participants. Posted July 17, 2017
  
• The House Appropriation Committee recommends that the FY 2018 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill provide a total of $395,000,000 for Fusion Energy Science Research. This is an increase from the $380,000,000 enacted for FY 2017.  The FY 2018 funds to be allocated with $214,027,000 for burning plasma science foundations, $42,069,000 for burning plasma science long pulse, $75,904,000 for discovery plasma science and $63,000,000 for the U.S. contribution to the ITER project. The Fusion Energy Sciences program supports basic research and experimentation aiming to harness nuclear fusion for energy production. University-led research helps further U.S. research in fusion energy and trains the next generation of scientists.  In fiscal year 2017, the Department was directed to summarize the fusion energy sciences program’s current collaborations with universities and report back to the Committee.   Updated July 13, 2017
• House panel set to vote on bill that cuts or eliminates some DOE science programs (Science, D. Malakoff July11, 2017): The House of Representatives appropriations panel will vote Wednesday July 12 on a Department of Energy (DOE) spending bill that largely rejects deep 2018 cuts to science programs proposed by President Donald Trump.
  
• Tri Alpha Energy revs up ‘Norman’ device for fusion research with Paul Allen’s backing (GeekWire July 10, 2017) July 12, 2017
• Trump nominates finance executive for DOE science undersecretary (Science News Staff  July11, 2017): President Donald Trump has nominated Paul Dabbar, an investment banker with J.P. Morgan Chase in New York City, to be the Department of Energy’s (DOE's) undersecretary for science. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Dabbar served as a nuclear submarine officer in Mare Island, California, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, including deploying to the North Pole where he conducted environmental research.  He also currently serves on the Department of Energy Environmental Management Advisory Board.  He has been a lecturer at the U.S. Naval Academy Economics Department, and conducted research at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.  Mr. Dabbar received a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, and an M.B.A. degree from Columbia University.Posted July 17, 2017
• ITER delays push fusion energy back to first part of the later half of this century (BBC Science and Environment, July 11, 2017, E Cartlidge): The EU Roadmap for Fusion Energy is being updated and will be released later this fall.  It is expected that the first operation of a Fusion Demonstration Plant will be delayed from about 2044 to about 2054. July 11, 2017
  
• Europe pauses funding for €500 million fusion research reactor July 6, 2017
• Six Exhaust Systems Make the Cut for EuroFusion funding July 11, 2017
• U.K. throws lifeline to JET fusion site (Science July 7, 2017)  - The UK government indicated that it would support 2 years of JET operation past 2018 when the present Euratom contract ends. 
  
• These Scientists Say Brexit Is A "Mess" For British Nuclear Research And Industry (Buzzfeed, July 8, 2017): The decision to leave Euratom, the body that oversees European nuclear safety, will have profound impacts – and may not have been necessary, according to nuclear scientists. July 8, 2017
• The European Commission has adopted a communication presenting the revised schedule and budget estimates for European participation in the ITER project. The new baseline is fully compatible with the funding available for EU's ITER actions in the EU budgets under the current multiannual financial framework (MFF) valid until 2020. This Communication does not make concrete financial commitments on ITER ahead of the new MFF negotiations. Concrete financial commitments for the period post-2020 will be made at the time of budgetary authority decisions for the new MFF and will be finalized by heads of state and government in 2019. The Brexit-related implications are not discussed therefore in detail in the Commission's Communication.  These documents are worth studying. Posted July 3, 2017
• EU contribution to a reformed ITER project: Commission Communication
• The ITER Project Status: Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and to the Council
  
• US Department of Energy Reports on ITER Status (Previously released) for comparison with EU Estimated Costs and Justifications above
  
• DOE Documents for revised Critical Decisions for ITER and US Estimated Costs   Jan 2017
  
• DOE Releases Report to Congress on Continued US Participation in ITER(May 2016) contains history and US budget projections
  
• EU and US ITER Construction costs are each consistent with the total construction cost of ITER being > $40 B USD.
  
• 44th European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics was held June 26-30, 2017 in Belfast, Ireland.   Presentations of interest are included below:
• I-mode and H-mode plasmas at high magnetic field and pressure on Alcator C-Mod  (A. Hubbard, et. al. MIT)   June 26, 2017
  
• 
  
• Evaluation of a proposal for reliable low-cost grid power with 100% wind, water, and solar, Proceedings US National Academy Science June 19, 2017.  C. Clack et al.: Previous analyses have found that the most feasible route to a low-carbon energy future is one that adopts a diverse portfolio of technologies. In contrast, Jacobson et al. (2015) consider whether the future primary energy sources for the United States could be narrowed to almost exclusively wind, solar, and hydroelectric power and suggest that this can be done at “low-cost” in a way that supplies all power with a probability of loss of load “that exceeds electric-utility-industry standards for reliability”. We find that their analysis involves errors, inappropriate methods, and implausible assumptions. Their study does not provide credible evidence for rejecting the conclusions of previous analyses that point to the benefits of considering a broad portfolio of energy system options. Posted June 26, 2017
  
• Fisticuffs Over the Route to a Clean-Energy Future,  Eduardo Porter, New York Times Economic Scene June 20, 2017
  
• Without minimizing challenges, Council reaffirms commitment:  The Twentieth Meeting of the ITER Council was held on 21 and 22 June. The Council reviewed a detailed set of reports and indicators demonstrating that--while working to an extremely demanding schedule and challenging technical requirements--the ITER Project continues its strong performance and remains on schedule for First Plasma 2025. Without minimizing the challenges that remain before the completion of construction, the members of the ITER Council reaffirmed their joint commitment to the mission and the vision of the project. June 22, 2017
• US Stellarator Community Report on Future Opportunities (STELLCON) that outlines the research needs and lays out a research plan for a reinvigorated stellarator program in the US. has been updated. June 20, 2017
  
• The FESAC Transformative Enabling Capabilities (TEC) subcommittee for Plasma-Materials Interaction will be holding its second Community input meeting at the Sheraton Chicago, Il June 20 at 1pm ending June 22 at 6 pm.  Agenda and instructions for remote participation.  June 19, 2017
  
• The National Academy of Science Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research 
• First Meeting of the NAS Panel held on June 5, 2017
  
• DOE Urges National Academies Panel to ‘Be Bold’ in Fusion Strategic Plan (AIP/FYI, M. Ambrose),    June 9, 2017
  
• Context for an NAS study on Burning Plasma Research and a Magnetic Fusion Strategy: Edmund J. Synakowski, Associate Director, Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences June 10, 2017
• Perspectives on Burning Plasma Research  C. Greenfield and A. Hubbard, (Archive PDF copy) US Burning Plasma Organization posted June 26, 2017
• Remote Connection information for the June 5 meeting   June 5, 2017
  
• Will hold its first meeting on June 5-6, 2017 at the Keck Center, Washington, DC. revised June 2, 2017
• Committee members have been named . May 25, 2017
  
• Status of National Academy Study on U. S. Burning Plasma Research J. Lancaster,  Posted NAS Feb 2, 1017
  
• Charge for NAS Study on a Strategic Plan for U. S. Burning Plasma Research.  Posted December 1 2016
  
• The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) Transformative Enabling Capabilities (TEC) subcommittee is charged “to identify the most promising transformative enabling capabilities for the U.S. to pursue that could promote efficient advance toward fusion energy, building on burning plasma science and technology.” The FESAC-TEC will hold its first public meeting on May 30 to June 1 at the Rockville Hilton, Rockville, MD.  Agenda for the meeting and instructions for remote participation.   May 25, 2017
• No relief for science and research in Trump budget (Physics Today May 24, 2017, David Kramer): Rush Holt, CEO of AAAS, said the budget plan “would devastate America’s science and technology enterprise and negatively affect our nation’s economy and public well-being.” “Ironically, [the budget] depends on astounding economic growth even as it proposes to cut the source of that economic growth.” The proposal optimistically assumes that the US economy will grow at a rate of 3% annually over the next decade. Posted May 29, 2017
• Trump Budget Cuts DOE Office of Science by 17%, Prioritizes Advanced Computing (AIP/FYI, Henry, May 25,2017) President Trump’s official fiscal year 2018 budget request proposes deep cuts to most federal science agencies as part of a government-wide reduction in non-defense spending. Among the proposals is a 17 percent, $919 million cut below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level for the Department of Energy Office of Science,
  
• What’s in Trump’s 2018 budget request for science? (Science News Staff ): At DOE, big cuts at user facilities and a mixed message on ITER.  The Trump administration would take an ax to the Department of Energy's (DOE’s) Office of Science, the single largest funder of the physical sciences in the United States. May. 23, 2017, 12:45 pm  Posted May 25, 2017
• FY 2018 Federal Budget were released Tuesday, May 23, 2017.   May 23, 2017
• DOE Office of Science and Fusion Budget Proposed by President for FY18
  
• Magnetic Fusion FY18 Budget Details (12:17 pm) May 23, 2017
• Magnetic Fusion FY18 Budget Cuts (%) by Research Topic (4:45 pm)  May 23, 2017
• Magnetic Fusion FY18 Budget Cuts - PPPL (4:45 pm) May 23, 2017
• Magnetic Fusion FY18 Budget by State   May 23, 2017
  
• Magnetic Fusion Budget slashed to $310M in 2018, down from $437M est for FY17, and $428M actual in FY16  (11:30 am)May 23, 2017
• Office of Science FY18 Budget Details (12:58 pm) May 23, 2017
• Office of Science- Comparison of Program Office Funding FY16-FY18 (4:51pm) May 23, 2017
• Office of Science - National Lab funding by Program Office  (10:28 am)  May 24, 2017
• Office of Science summary language is silent on ITER (11:50 am)  May 23, 2017
• Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition Budget increases from $516M in FY17 to $533M in FY18.  (12:01 pm) May 23, 2017
• FY18 Budget Executive Summary (8:20 am) May 23, 2017
• FY18 High Level Budgets (8:20 am) May 23, 2017
• Private fusion machines aim to beat massive global effort (Science, D. Clery April 27, 2017, PDF copy): Startups avoid ITER’s path with new prototype reactors. “Fusion hasn’t been exciting enough in recent years,” says David Kingham, CEO of Tokamak Energy near Oxford, U.K. “Some-one has to inject some excitement and can-do attitude.”  Posted May 7, 2017
• The final appropriations agreement for fiscal year 2017 provides a 0.8 percent increase for the Department of Energy Office of Science. Five of the office’s six research programs are set to receive funding increases, while Fusion Energy Sciences will receive a 13 percent cut as further U.S. contributions to the ITER fusion facility are withheld.  Additional information on US Science Funding levels for FY16-17. Specific language for included:  May 3, 2017
• Domestic prioritization: Directs DOE to develop a long-range plan to prioritize domestic R&D in fusion energy sciences.
  
• Workshops: Directs DOE to hold additional workshops and submit a report summarizing “the fusion energy science community’s continued efforts hosting workshops to advance and plan for the long term vision of the fusion energy sciences field.”
  
• •    University collaboration: Directs DOE to submit a report summarizing the Fusion Energy Sciences program’s “current collaboration with universities and an explanation for its relevant funding allocations.”
  
• DOE-wide direction for a CRENEL progress report: Requires DOE to submit a report on the department’s progress toward implementing the recommendations of the Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories. (Ed: A much needed report!!)
  
• Proposed FY17 Science and Fusion House Appropriations Bill Language:  Assembled from House Rules Committee website documents and is expected to be what the House and Senate will vote on.  May 1, 2017
• How science fares in the U.S. budget deal (Science News Staff, May 1, 2017 ): Department of Energy's (DOE) research flat, future of ITER uncertain, but ARPA-E gains.  Trump has proposed a massive budget cut next year for the DOE's basic research wing, the Office of Science, but the rest of this fiscal year is looking relatively prosperous. In its omnibus bill, Congress holds spending in the Office of Science essentially flat, giving the United States's single biggest funder of the physical sciences a 0.8% increase to $5.392 billion. Updated May 3, 2017
  
• US Academic Fusion Researchers Sound Alarm (Physics Today, Toni Feder, May 1, 2017): Magnetic confinement fusion research on US university campuses is in crisis, according to a recent white paper by the University Fusion Association (UFA). May 1, 2017
• Professors Michael Mauel, Columbia University and Melvyn Shochet, University of Chicago have been announced as co-chairs for the National Academies study of the state and potential of magnetic confinement-based fusion research in the United States and to provide guidance on a long-term strategy for the field.  More detailed Committee information is posted on the National Academies Current Projects System. The remaining committee members will be announced upon appointment by the National Academies. Updated April 25, 2017
• The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) Transformative Enabling Capabilities (TEC) subcommittee welcomes the submission of white papers and talk requests that describe concepts and technologies that can bring fusion power closer to reality.  Meetings are scheduled for May 30 -June 1, 2017; June 20 - 22, 2017 and July 19-21 2017. April 25, 2017
• Announcement of US Fusion Community Workshops on Strategic directions for U.S. magnetic fusion research. First workshop to be held on July 24-28, 2017, at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. April 23, 2017
• Twenty Years ago: TFTR Final Update (2:54 am, April 4, 1997): This will be the final TFTR Update for the last tokamak experiments on TFTR were conducted last night going into this morning.  The final shot occurred at 1:50 am this morning. Richard J Hawryluk (TFTR Project Head). posted April 4, 2017
  
• Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) Operation was Terminated 20 Years ago - The construction of TFTR was started in March 1976 as part of a major US Energy R&D effort in response to the Gulf oil embargo of the mid-1970s. During the 8 year period from 1974 to 1982, the US fusion budget grew from $57M to $461M - an eight fold increase. TFTR was the first of the three large tokamaks (TFTR, JET and JT-60) beginning operation in December 24, 1982. For the next 15 years, TFTR operation defined the frontier of fusion research. In 1996, the US fusion budget was cut 35% forcing a restructuring of the US fusion program that resulted in the premature termination of TFTR on April 4, 1997 after 15 years of operation. TFTR achieved all of the original 1976 technical project goals of: 1. Study plasma physics of large tokamaks, 2. Gain experience with reactor scale engineering, 3. Demonstrate D-T fusion energy production (1 to 10 MJ per pulse), and made numerous contributions including:
  
  •     First magnetic fusion experiment to achieve power plant fuel temperature of 200 million °C (20 kev) (1986), and ultimately a record 510 million °C (45 kev) (1995)
  •     First observation of the "bootstrap current" in a tokamak, a self generated current that is the key feature of steady-state tokamak fusion power plants (1986)
  •     First direct measurements of long wavelength turbulence that formed the basis for an improved theoretical modeling of turbulence (1990)
  •     First magnetic fusion experiment to use fusion power plant fuel mixture of 50% deuterium (D) and 50% tritium (T) (1993)
  •     First magnetic fusion experiment to produce fusion power exceeding 10 million watts (1994)
  •     Record peak plasma pressure of 6 atm in a D-T plasma, higher than that expected in ITER (1994)
  •     Record fusion power densities of 0.3 million watts per cubic meter comparable to the 0.5 MW/m3 expected in ITER (1994)
  •     First experimental observation of the "enhanced reversed shear" confinement mode that is now a key feature of steady-state tokamak power plant concepts (1994)
  •     First demonstration of radio frequency heating of a D-T plasma using second harmonic tritium resonance (1994)
  •     First observation of neoclassical tearing modes that limit output of high performance fusion plasmas (1995)
  •     First unambiguous measurements of self-heating by alpha particles in a DT fusion plasma (1995)
  •     First demonstration of mode conversion heating in a D-T plasma (1995)
  •     First measurements of instabilities excited by fusion alpha particles (1996).
  •     First to identify and quantify the retention of tritium in graphite plasma facing components as a major issue for fusion power plants using trace tritium (1989) and 50/50 DT (1995)
  •     First closed cycle processing of tritium on a fusion experiment using 50% deuterium (D) and 50% tritium (T) (Feb 1997)
  •     TFTR engineering systems operated reliably above the original design ratings for toroidal field and neutral beam power.
  •     About 1 million curies of tritium was handled safely over a three year period during over 1,000 DT experiments.
  •     The total cost of the TFTR program (design, construction, operation and decommissioning ) was $1.65 B(as spent).
  •     The US fusion program has expended nearly $7B(as spent) during the past 20 years.
• Fusion News Update  Updated April 4, 2017
• President Trump will nominate Dan Brouillette to be the department’s deputy secretary. Brouillette is a former Energy Department official under former President George W. Bush,  April 4, 2017
• Briefing on ITER for House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water was held March 22, 2017.  The briefing was closed to the pubic. The witnesses were: Dr Bernard Bigot, Director General of the ITER Organization; Dr Thom Mason, Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory site of the US ITER Project Office and Professor Stewart Prager, Princeton University. March 28, 2017
  
• ITER Newsline article describing the closed House Appropriations E&W subcommittee hearing on ITER and Dr Bernard Bigot's meeting with Rick Perry the Secretary of Energy. April 3, 2017
  
• The National Academy Review to study the state and potential of magnetic confinement-based fusion research in the United States and provide guidance on a long-term strategy for the field is getting organized but no information is available to the public on the panel membership or meeting schedule. April 3, 2017
• A Dream of Clean Energy at a Very High Price (H. Fountain, Science, NY Times, March 27, 2017):  A status report on the ITER construction project,  the technical issues ITER is facing and the budgetary political challenges regarding US participation in ITER.
  
• America First, A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again (OMB): The language states that this budget is intended to: "Ensures the Office of Science continues to invest in the highest priority basic science and energy research and development as well as operation and maintenance of existing scientific facilities for the community. This includes a savings of approximately $900 million compared to the 2017 annualized CR level."   This is a cut of about 17% relative to the FY 17 Continuing Resolution and is roughly the same as the recommendation for the Office of Science budget in the  recent Heritage Foundation Report (106 Ways to Reduce the Size and Scope of Government). Note: the recommendation in this Heritage Foundation report (page 52) was to return Fusion Funding to Fy2008 levels which would be a disastrous cut of ~40% relative to FY17 CR levels.  March 3, 2017
  
• Secretary of Energy Statement on Trump's Proposed Budget (DOE Press release, March 16, 2017)
  
• President's Budget Plan Would Cripple Science and Technology, AAAS Says  (AAAS, Science, March 17, 2017)
  
• NIH, DOE Office of Science face deep cuts in Trump's first budget (Science, March 16, 2016)
  
• A grim budget day for U.S. science: analysis and reaction to Trump's plan (ScienceInsider, March 16, 2017)
  
• Trump proposes big reductions for science agencies (Physics Today, D. Kramer, March 16, 2017)
  
• Trump Seeks Dramatic Funding Cuts to Science (FYI AIP Mar 16, 2017): President Trump’s “blueprint” of his forthcoming fiscal year 2018 budget request reveals that the administration is targeting many federal science agencies for deep cuts. Reactions from congressional leaders have ranged from supportive to muted to outraged.
  
• Trump’s 2018 budget will squeeze civilian science agencies (ScienceInsider,D. Malakoff Feb. 27, 2017):  The chunk of the federal budget that includes most of the U.S. government’s spending on basic science would shrink by 10.5% in 2018 under a plan outlined today by President Donald Trump and administration officials. March 3, 2017
• Is Fusion in Our Future?  John Holdren (Scientific American, March 2017): The U.S. is grossly  under invested in energy research, says Obama’s science adviser. And that includes fusion power.   February 17, 2017
• Government confirms UK commitment to fusion research (The Engineer, Stuart Nathan 17th February 2017): Science Minister Jo Johnson has reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to nuclear fusion research and has stated that efforts are being made to ensure the future of the Joint European Torus (JET) project and participation in ITER when the UK withdraws from the Euratom treaty as part of the Brexit process. February 17, 2017
• FESAC (agenda) met Feb 1-2 at the Washingtonian Marriott in Gaithersburg, MD.  Additional info regarding how to participate is on the FESAC web page. If you wish to make a public comment please contact DOE prior to the meeting.  In addition, individuals are encouraged to send Questions and Public Comments for FESAC/DOE to FIRE prior, during and after the meeting for posting on the FIRE web site.   Updated February 1, 2017
• New Charge for FESAC:  Identify the most promising transformative enabling capabilities for the U.S. to pursue that could promote efficient advance towards fusion energy, building on burning plasma science and technology. Report due October 1, 2017.
  
• The ITER Project: Moving Forward:  Bernard Bigot, ITER Organization Director General
• FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES: Updates and issues, and opportunities for FESAC:  E.J. Synakowski, DOE-FES
  
• NSTX‐U Assessment and Recovery: T. Brog, PPPL
• NSTX‐U Recovery Project Review, Status and Plans: R.J. Hawryluk, PPPL
  
• Recent Results and Near-Term Plans for Wendelstein 7-X: Thomas Pedersen, Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics, Greifswald, Germany
  
• First Plasma Subproject Baseline for the U.S. Contributions to ITER Project: Joe May, DOE-FES
  
• Basic Energy Sciences Overview: H. Kung, DOE-BES
  
• National Academies Study on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research  J. Lancaster, NAS
  
• White Papers and Public Comments Submitted to FESAC
• University Fusion Association White Paper on the Status of University-Based Fusion Science Research 
  
• FESAC Public Comment: David Maurer, President, University Fusion Association
  
• UK confirms it will leave European atomic energy community (Financial Times, Jan 27, 2017): Exit from Euratom carries serious implications for nuclear industry and Research. Membership of Euratom is a condition of Britain acting as host for the Join European Torus project, currently the largest nuclear fusion experiment in the world. Britain will have to strike new international agreements with the US and other countries to maintain access to nuclear power technology after confirming for the first time its intention to leave the pan-European atomic energy regulator. January 27, 2017
• Will the United States remain in ITER? (Science, Jan 27, 2017):  The United States is one of seven partners building ITER, a fusion research reactor in France. It is a test bed for what someday could become an important source of power. But ITER is almost comically over budget and behind schedule, and some lawmakers want the United States to withdraw, in part because ITER spending threatens domestic fusion research programs. Trump’s views could be decisive. January 27, 2017
• H.R. 589, the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act was passed by the House on Jan 25, 2017 with strong bipartisan support. The Bill would provide the first-ever comprehensive policy guidance to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The section on Fusion Energy Science [#307 (e), page 50-54] calls for DOE to submit a report on the fusion activities it plans to carryout over the next 10 years and the details are of particular interest to members of the fusion community. January 25, 2017 (posted Jan 27)
  
• Trump meets with Princeton physicist who says global warming is good for us (Washington Post, Jan 13, 2017): On Friday, according to the Trump transition team, the president-elect also met with William Happer, a Princeton professor of physics who has been a prominent voice in questioning whether we should be concerned about human-caused climate change. 
  
• A Physicist and Possible Adviser to Trump Describes His Love of Science, and CO2 (ProPublica, Andrew Revkin Feb. 15, 2017): In an hour long Skype interview from his Princeton office on Monday, Happer offered fresh thoughts on science policy. Posted February 22, 2017
• Donald Trump talks to a Jersey guy about a long-overdue debate on climate change ( NJ Advance Media Mulshine).Posted January 23, 2017
• Q&A: William Happer, Possible Science Advisor to the President (The Scientist, B. Grant, Feb 6, 2017): The Princeton physicist told The Scientist that then-President-elect Donald Trump last month agreed with his position that climate change research has become a "cult movement."  Posted February 13, 2017
  
• Nomination Hearing of the Honorable Rick Perry to be the Secretary of Energy.  Opening Statements and video of webcast.  January 19, 2017
• Trump team prepares dramatic cuts  (The Hill, Jan 19, 2017) - Staffers for the Trump transition team have been meeting with career staff at the White House ahead of Friday’s presidential inauguration to outline their plans for shrinking the federal bureaucracy. The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major reductions in funding, with programs under their jurisdiction either being eliminated or transferred to other agencies. At the Department of Energy, it would roll back funding for nuclear physics and advanced scientific computing research to 2008 levels, eliminate the Office of Electricity, eliminate the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and scrap the Office of Fossil Energy, which focuses on technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. January 19, 2017
• Is alluring but elusive fusion energy possible in our lifetime? (The Nuclear Option by Miles O’Brien, PBS News Hour): Limitless power with virtually no greenhouse gases or radioactive waste. If that sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. For decades, researchers have looked for ways to control, confine and sustain fusion as an energy source. But there has been a lot of progress on a small scale, building on years of physics understanding and progress. January 19, 2017
• The revised Critical Decision-1R, Alternate Selection and Cost Range, for ITER Project and Critical decision-2/3, Performance Baseline/Start of Construction, for  Subproject-1 (First Plasma) for US Contributions to the ITER Project was approved by the Deputy Secretary of Energy on January 13, 2017.  DOE has chosen to divide the US ITER Project hardware scope into two distinct subprojects (Subproject 1 or SP-1 for FP (First Plasma) hardware scope, and Subproject 2 or SP-2 for the post- FP hardware) and to baseline SP-1 as soon as possible. SP-2 will follow once the post-FP portion of the ITER construction schedule has been firmly established by the IO and the Secretary of Energy has made a recommendation at the end of FY2017 that the U.S. will continue its participation in ITER. The details are summarized in the following documents:  January 17, 2017
• Action: Approve the revised Critical Decision-1 (CD-1R), Alternate Selection and Cost Range and Approve CD-2 Performance Baseline, and CD-3 Start of Construction for US Contributions to ITER First Plasma Subproject
  
• Revised Critical Decision-1R, Alternate Selection and Cost Range, for ITER Project and Critical decision-2/3, Performance Baseline/Start of Construction, for Subproject-1 (First Plasma)  
• The Project Execution Plan for the U.S. Contributions to ITER (US ITER) 
• Project Execution Plan for the U.S. Contributions to ITER Subproject-1 (US ITER SP-1)
  
• 20th Anniversary Workshop for the NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering - The NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering is one of the longest running inter-agency partnerships in the federal government. The Workshop will take place January 9th, 2017 through January 11th, 2017. A detailed Workshop Agenda and instructions for virtual online access to the Workshop’s oral sessions and panel discussions is available on the web link above. January 5, 2017
• The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) will meet Feb 1-2, 2017 at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, Gaithersburg, MD.  Topics presently on the agenda include: DOE/SC Perspective, FES Perspective, Update on the ITER Project, Status of the NSTX–U Project, Update on the Wendelstein 7–X Project, and Public Comment.  If you wish to make a public comment please notify DOE prior to the meeting.  In addition, individuals are encouraged to send Questions and Public Comments for FESAC/DOE to FIRE prior, during and after the meeting for posting on the FIRE web site. January 3, 2017
• U.S. National Stellarator Coordinating Committee Requests Community Input: A report, STELLCON, has been prepared that outlines the research needs and lays out a research plan for a reinvigorated stellarator program in the US. The report is the product of a series of community meetings organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee the first of which was held on February of 2016, and hosted by MIT. The meeting was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions.  Please send comments to: David Gates, (dgates at pppl.gov) and David Anderson (dtanders at wisc.edu) before January 6th, 2017. December 21, 2016
• Science Policy: Priorities and Reforms for the 45th President (James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Jack Spencer, Bridget Mudd and Katie Tubb; Heritage Foundation): The next President needs a responsible, proactive science policy that will help to jump-start Washington’s lagging efforts at keeping the nation safe, free, and prosperous. The executive branch has a responsibility to promote sound public policy and to ensure that the government has access to the scientific resources necessary for advancing national interests. Such a policy will require a shift from maintaining expansive science-related support infrastructure to an approach that relies more on the private sector and brings accountability to regulatory science. Note: James Carafano is a member of the Homeland Security Landing Team and Jack Spencer is a member of the DOE Transition Team. December 15, 2016
• Trump Staffs Transition Teams for DOE and NASA (AIP FYI 121416): Over the past two months, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has been assembling agency-specific “landing teams” that are tasked with gathering information and recommending policy agendas and personnel selections for the incoming administration. The official transition website lists the landing team members announced to date here and here. December 14, 2016
• DOE's national labs prepare for Trump (Politico Dec 13. 2016): Directors of the Energy Department’s network of national laboratories are still wondering how President-elect Donald Trump will change their mission, but they know they will have to find a new way to talk about it. December 12, 2016
• Trump transition team for Energy Department seeks names of employees involved in climate meetings - (Washington Post): The Trump transition team has issued a list of 74 questions for the Energy Department, asking agency officials to identify which department employees and contractors have worked on forging an international climate pact as well as domestic efforts to cut the nation’s carbon output. The questionnaire requests a list of those individuals who have taken part in international climate talks over the past five years and “which programs within DOE are essential to meeting the goals of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan.”  December 9, 2016
• DOE - Transition document points to major shakeup - sources  (E&E News): Trump's transition team is pondering wide-scale changes at DOE and zeroing in on employees who may have helped advance the Obama administration's climate policies, according to a document obtained by E&E News. One source close to the transition effort said Trump's team is meeting with leaders from all 17 national labs Wednesday. There is one question on fusion:"How many fusion programs, both public and private, are currently being funded worldwide?"  December 9, 2016
• Charge to the NRC Committee for the 2016 U. S. Magnetic Fusion Program Study: A committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will be formed to study the state and potential of magnetic confinement-based fusion research in the United States and provide guidance on a long-term strategy for the field. The study will focus on research that supports understanding the magnetically confined burning plasma state but will take a broad view beyond plasma confinement science, and as such consider capabilities such as simulation and materials. An interim report by October 2017 is requested and will be used as input to the FY 2019 DOE Budget request for Magnetic Fusion, and the final report is expected to be delivered by ~ October, 2018.  December 1, 2016
  
• Fusion energy: a time of potential and transition ( Stewart Prager and Michael C. Zarnstorff, Princeton University, Nov. 29, 2016 ) For centuries, humans have dreamed of harnessing the power of the sun to energize our lives here on Earth. But we want to go beyond collecting solar energy, and one day generate our own from a mini-sun. If we're able to solve an extremely complex set of scientific and engineering problems, fusion energy promises a green, safe, unlimited source of energy. (pdf archival copy) November 29, 2016
• ITER Council endorses updated project schedule to Deuterium-Tritium Operation (17 November 2016): The ITER Council has endorsed an updated schedule for the ITER Project through First Plasma and to Deuterium-Tritium Operation. Building on renewed confidence achieved through the past 18 months of sustained strong performance in construction and manufacturing, the updated 2016-2035 schedule reflects the consensus and integrated efforts of the ITER Organization and the seven Domestic Agencies. November 20, 2016
  
• Progress in ITER Construction and Strategy towards the Operations Phase (David Campbell, ITER Organization presented at APS-DPP-USBPO).  A comprehensive discussion of the status and plans related to:  Development of the revised ITER baseline schedule, Current status of project R&D, manufacturing and construction, and Staged approach towards ITER burning plasma operation. Posted November 20, 2016
• 26th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference is being held in Kyoto, Japan  Oct 17-22, 2016:  Over 1,100 participants are expected to hear the latest status reports on ITER, and latest results from the National Fusion Programs. Several of the presentations are being collected and will be posted below.  The IAEA Timetable has additional presentations and summary papers.  If you have problems with the downloads, contact the webmaster. These reports represent work in progress and should not be quoted without permission from the author. Questions should be directed to the authors. Updated  November 11, 2016
• Final Program and Book of Abstracts
  
• List of Participants
  
• O1-4 Fusion for Sustainable World Development, A. Iiyoshi Japan
• O1-5 The Strategic Dimensions of the Fusion Energy Challenge, F. Portero Spain
  
• Banquet Speech - Our dream to realize fusion energy is alive   Osamu Motojima, Japan
  
• OV /1-1 Japan Extension of Operational Regime of LHD towards Deuterium Experiment: Y. Takeiri, Japan
  
• OV /1-2 Progress in ITER Construction, Manufacturing and R&D:  B. Bigot. ITER Organization, Director General
• OV/1-3 DIII-D Research Advancing the Scientific Basis for Burning Plasmas and Fusion Energy: W. M. Solomon USA
  
• OV/1/4 Overview of the JET Results in Support to ITER: X. Litaudon EC
• OV/2-1 Overview of ASDEX-Upgrade Results: A. Kallenbach Germany
• OV/2-2  Overview of EAST Experiments on the Development of High-Performance Steady-State Scenario: B. N.Wan China
• OV/2-4  Overview of the KSTAR Research in Support of ITER and DEMO: Y.-K. Oh, Rep. of Korea
• OV/2-5 Overview of High-Field Divertor Tokamak Results from Alcator C-Mod: E. S. Marmar USA
• OV/3-1 First Plasma Operation of Wendelstein 7-X: R. C. Wolf Germany
• OV/3-3 Recent Progress of JT-60SA Project: H. Shirai, Japan
• OV/3-4 Overview of the Present Progresses and Activities on the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor: Y.Wan China
• OV/4-1 Overview of the IFMIF/EVEDA: J. Knaster Japan
• OV/5-2 Overview of First Results from NSTX-U and Analysis Highlights from NSTX: J. Menard USA
• OV/5-3 Overview of Recent Physics Results from MAST: A. Kirk UK
• OV/5-4 H-Mode and Non-solenoidal Startup in the Pegasus Ultralow-A Tokamak: R. Fonck USA
• OV/5-5 Overview of Spherical Tokamak Research in Japan: Y. Takase Japan
• EX/3-1 Advances in Physics and Performance of the I-Mode Regime over an Expanded Operating Space on Alcator C-Mod: A. E. Hubbard USA
  
• EX/P3-36 Compact Fusion Energy Based on the Spherical Tokamak: A. Costley UK
  
• EX/P3-39 Recent Advances in Stellarator Optimization: D. Gates USA
• FIP/2-5 Liquid Lithium Loop System to Solve Challenging Technology Issues for Fusion Power Plant: M. Ono USA
• FIP/P4-39 Modeling the Lithium Loop in a Liquid Metal Divertor for Future Fusion Reactors: R. Zanino Italy
• FIP/P7-6 Smaller & Sooner: Exploiting High Magnetic Fields from New Superconductors for a More Attractive Fusion Energy; D. G. Whyte USA
• S/1-1 Summary EX/C, EX/S & PPC: Y. Kamada Japan
• S/1-2 Summary EX/D, EX/W& ICC: D. Hill, USA
• S/2-1 Summary Inertial Fusion Experiments and Theory: S. Jacquemot, France
  
• S/2-1 Summary FIP, FNS, MPT & SEE: J. Li, China
  
• New record for fusion: Alcator C-Mod tokamak nuclear fusion reactor sets world record on final day of operation (MIT News, Oct 14, 2016): On Friday, Sept. 30, at 9:25 p.m. EDT, scientists and engineers at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center made a leap forward in the pursuit of clean energy. The team set a new world record for plasma pressure in the Institute’s Alcator C-Mod tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. Plasma pressure is the key ingredient to producing energy from nuclear fusion, and MIT’s new result achieves over 2 atmospheres of pressure for the first time.  Alcator C-Mod pressure record: FAQ More information on the significance of plasma pressure for magnetic fusion  October 14, 2016
• Magnetic Fusion 30 Years ago --11th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference 1986, Kyoto, Japan: The three large tokamaks presented breakthrough results from the first plasma experiments on fusion reactor–like plasmas.  The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at Princeton, NJ USA reported the first ion temperatures exceeding 20 keV, record Lawson parameter nτE ≈ 1.5x10^20 m-3s, and the first observation/confirmation of the “bootstrap current” (required for a practical tokamak fusion reactor) in a high temperature tokamak plasma.  The Joint European Torus (JET) at Culham, England reported the achievement of high confinement (H-Mode) at high plasma temperature (13 keV) and large scale.  The Japan Tokamak (JT-60) at Naka, Japan reported the first results of Lower Hybrid current drive and poloidal divertor operation on a large scale tokamak.  In addition, a flood of impressive advances too numerous to mention individually, were reported across the program from medium scale tokamaks, non-tokamak experiments, plasma theory and modeling.  Significant reports were given on the design of possible next steps (INTOR, NET, CIT, Ignitor) toward a fusion reactor.  Special thanks to Mitsuro Kikuchi for providing digital scans of the  Proceedings of the 1986 IAEA FEC. October 11, 2016
• Proceedings of the 1986 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Kyoto, Japan: Volume I
• Proceedings of the 1986 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Kyoto, Japan: Volume II
• Proceedings of the 1986 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Kyoto, Japan: Volume III
• US left with just one working fusion reactor -- for now.  Design flaw may have doomed machine at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. Nature News, J. Tollefson, 30 September 2016: A tough year just got tougher for US fusion researchers. The country’s flagship experimental fusion reactor has broken down, less than a year after completing a four-year, US$94-million upgrade. Now officials at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in New Jersey are investigating whether problems encountered during fabrication of a key component caused the reactor to fail.  Lab officials say that the machine could be offline for up to a year. Updated September 30, 2016
• Director of U.S. fusion lab steps downs as researchers struggle to repair flagship machine (Science A. Cho, 27 September, 2016): Stewart Prager has stepped down as director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in New Jersey, the lab announced in a statement yesterday. Prager's departure comes in the aftermath of a malfunction that has knocked the lab's main facility out of action—for perhaps as long as a year. The accident may also spell further trouble for the Department of Energy's $438 million Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, which funds PPPL and has already been the subject of battles among budget makers at the White House and in Congress. 
• US fusion boss steps down (Physics World, 28 September, 2016):  Stewart Prager, the head of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in New Jersey, has stepped down after eight years in the lab. Prager is the sixth director of the PPPL and joined the lab in late 2008 after a long career at the University of Wisconsin. The PPPL is operated by Princeton University and the lab operates the National Spherical Torus Experiment, which recently completed a $94m upgrade. However, the facility recently encountered a problem when a magnetic coil failed last month, which could knock it out of action for a year.
  
• Director forced to step down after Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory reactor fails. The world’s most powerful spherical tokamak will be off-line for a year while new magnets are built. (Physics Today, D. Kramer, 29 September 2016): The director of the flagship US fusion research laboratory was forced to resign in the wake of a mishap that has caused an extended shutdown of one of the world’s top fusion experiments. The failure two months ago of a magnet at the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) is expected to take the machine out of commission for a year.
  
• PPPL Director Stewart Prager Steps Down: Princeton, New Jersey (Sept. 26, 2016) – Prof. Stewart Prager, a world renowned plasma physicist and passionate voice for a future of clean, abundant and benign energy fueled by fusion, has stepped down today from directorship of the national laboratory he has headed for the last eight years. 
• Leadership Transition in the DOE Office of Science - Dr. Pat Dehmer will retire as Deputy Director for Science Programs on November 10, 2016,  Dr. Steve Binkley will become the new permanent Deputy Director for Science Programs at that time. September 22, 2016
• The 22th ANS Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE-2016) was held in Philadelphia, PA August 21-25, 2012.  About 200 abstracts were submitted by 180 attendees. Several talks are posted below and a complete set will be posted at the meeting web site. Updated September 12, 2016
• DOE’s Role in Fusion Innovation and Commercialization: Adam Cohen, Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Energy, DOE
  
• ITER Project Overview:  Ned R. Sauthoff, Director, US ITER Project Office
• Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) Overview:  Charles. E. Kessel and the FESS Team
• Advancing Fusion Energy on a Global Scale: Dale Meade, Princeton, NJ
• Recent Fusion Activities of Korea toward DEMO: Keeman Kim, NFRI
  
• Studies of Next-Step Spherical Tokamaks Using High-Temperature Superconductors - Jonathan Menard, PPPL
• Pathways for Fusion Energy: Impact of Materials Options: Steve Zinkle , UT/ORNL
  
• See Update in BREXIT section below for article on effect of legal considerations on Euratom Treaty July 21, 2016
• President Obama signs 2016 Freedom of Information Act (June 30, 2016) – that clarifies, strengthens and makes permanent Executive Orders in place for several years, such as the “presumption of openness” unless the release would “cause foreseeable harm.”  Posted July 12, 2016
  
• Summary of FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 (Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy)
  
• Reforms to improve U.S. government accountability (Science July 1, 2016, A. Howard, Patrice McDermott): Proposed reforms should be a net benefit to public understanding of the scientific process and knowledge, by increasing the access of scientists to archival materials and reducing the likelihood of science and scientists being suppressed by official secrecy or bureaucracy.
  
• Obama signs FOIA reform bill (Josh Gerstein, POLITICO, Jun 30, 2016): President Barack Obama signed a bill Thursday aimed at improving the government's often-sluggish responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
  
• Examples of Accessible Grant Information in accordance with FOIA Posted July 17, 2016
• DOE Office of Science Grants for 2006-2015
• NSF Budget and Award Information
• Research.gov an extensive on line service for Research Spending and Results for NSF, NASA but not used by DOE
  
• Watchdog group sues for documents from the Department of Energy (Physics Today, D. Kramer, Jun 21,2016): A California advocacy group has filed suit against the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for alleged violations of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  (Editorial Comment - Excellent, The lack of transparency at DOE has been a problem for years.) June 25, 2016
• UK BREXIT vote threatens stability of the EU as other countries threaten to exit the EU.  Scotland’s Prime minister is proposing referendum to leave the UK.  How will this affect the EU support for ITER?  What does this mean regarding EU support for JET?  Is funding for the LHC at CERN also threatened?  These questions and more will be on the table in the months ahead. Updated  July 21, 2016
• Brexit Versus Euratom: What “No” Vote Could Mean for UK Membership in European Nuclear Peace Treaty (The National Law Review, M. Bruneau, July 19, 2016): As such, one of the unintended effects of Brexit is that, in practice, the “no” vote could make it impossible for the United Kingdom to retain its membership in the Euratom Community. July 21, 2016
• UK scientists in limbo after Brexit shock (Nature News , A. Abbott et al, Jun 28, 2016)
  
• What does Brexit mean for ITER? (ITER Newsline Jun 27, 2016) 
  
• Researchers deplore U.K. decision to leave the European Union (ScienceNews, D. Clery, Jun. 24, 2016)
  
• Brexit vote rattles UK and European scientists (Physics Today, A. Grant, Jun 24, 2016)
  
• Professor Steve Cowley, the Chief Executive Officer of UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has responded to yesterday's European Union referendum result. June 24, 2016
  
• Statement by Christophe Rossel, President of the EPS, after UK's decision to leave the EU - June 24, 2016
  
• UK physics faces huge uncertainty after EU referendum result (Physics World, M. Banks, Jun 24, 2016)  Posted June 26, 2016
  
• Why Scientists Are So Worried about Brexit (MIT Tech. Review, D. MacKenzie, June 20, 2016)
  
• How will Brexit Impact Science in the UK? (The WIRE, V. Mukunth Jun 24, 2016)
  
• U.K.-E.U. fission (BREXIT) could harm fusion research (ScienceInsider June 14, 2016 - D. Clery):  If the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union on 23 June, the exit will break up cross-border collaborations and cut off E.U. funding for U.K. scientists. For fusion research, the possibility of a Brexit is particularly worry
ing. Europe’s largest fusion facility, the Joint European Torus (JET), is sited just south of Oxford, U.K.; a vote to leave would put it in a legal limbo that could halt vital research supporting the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), now under construction in southern France. Posted June 14, 2016
• 100 Examples of President Obama’s Leadership in Science, Technology, and Innovation(White House, June 21, 2016): On January 20, 2009, President Obama issued a simple and powerful pledge: to restore science to its rightful place.   June 24, 2016
  
• Analysis: Does Obama’s claim to have rescued science hold up? (Science, J. Mervis Jun. 22, 2016 ) June 24, 2016
  
• Solved and Unsolved Problems in Plasma Physics -Nat Fisch Symposium (March 28-30, 2016):  Slides and Videos have been posted.  A broad spectrum of topics including:  Whence U. S. Science- Bill Brinkman; Strong journalism turbulence and four-wave mixing- James Glanz,(NYT), Philanthropy, science and society- Robert Conn (Kavli), When do tokamaks explode?- Steve Cowley and many more. June 22, 2016
• SEAB to Outline a Road Map for Nuclear Power: The SEAB Task Force on the Future of Nuclear Power will describe the landscape that must be crossed to go from today's situation of reliance largely on light water reactors to a situation in the period 2030 to 2050 where one or many nuclear technologies have reached technical and commercial maturity and are deploying at a rate that has the possibility of carbon free nuclear power generation contributing 20 percent of global electricity generation. The Task Force will submit quarterly reports to SEAB of its progress and submit a final report by December 2016.  Posted June 24, 2016
• Diablo Canyon Nuclear Closure Plan: An Important Model (NRDC): The Joint Proposal announced yesterday by PG&E for the closure of the two reactors at California’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant is historic, because it is the first time any utility owner has committed to a plan to replace retiring nuclear generation with 100 percent, zero-emissions, clean electricity-generating resources that are also lower cost.  (Editorial Comment: Looks like fusion will have very strong competition for producing zero-emission clean electricity!! ). June 22, 2016
• Giant U.S. fusion laser might never achieve goal, report concludes (Science, June 21, 2016): A long-troubled laser megaproject is facing fresh hurdles. A recent report concludes that although the $3.5 billion National Ignition Facility (NIF)—a Department of Energy (DOE) laser lab designed to heat and compress capsules of hydrogen isotopes until they fuse, releasing energy—is making technical progress, it is still a long way from its titular goal: ignition, or a fusion burn that sustains itself and produces more energy than it takes to spark it. June 22, 2016
• NIF may never ignite, DOE admits (Physics Today, June 17, 2016, D. Kramer): More than three years after the deadline passed for obtaining a sustained, high-energy-yield nuclear fusion reaction at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the US Department of Energy is still unsure whether the $3.5 billion laser can ever attain that milestone. Much as it did in 2012, the agency has established a new, less ambitious goal for NIF several years hence: to determine whether the machine can ever achieve its eponymous goal, and if not, why not.  June 18, 2016
• World's Biggest Science Experiment Seeks More Time and Money (Bloomberg‎,  Jun 15, 2016): ITER has become the make-or-break demonstration project that will help determine whether nuclear fusion has a future as a source of energy and ... the dollar as voters were grossly underestimating the true cost of Brexit. June 15, 2016
• ITER Council endorses updated schedule focused on First Plasma (ST PAUL-LEZ-DURANCE, France,16 June 2016):  Concluding a two-year effort by the ITER Organization and the seven Domestic Agencies to establish a new baseline schedule, the ITER Council has endorsed the updated Integrated Schedule for the ITER Project, which identifies the date of First Plasma as December 2025. No information is available on the budgets required to achieve first plasma, as all parties will now need to get their government approval of the budgets required to complete the activities required for first plasma including support of the ITER Central Team budget.  The Council also charged the ITER Organization with leading the effort to extend the updated Resource-Loaded Integrated Schedule through Deuterium-Tritium Operation, with sufficient detail to enable the Council to adopt an updated project baseline at its next meeting in November, 2016. June 16, 2016
• Fusion megaproject confirms 5-year delay (Science, D. Clery   June 16, 2016): The ITER fusion reactor will fire up for the first time in December 2025, the €18-billion project’s governing council confirmed today. The date for “first plasma” is 5 years later than under the old schedule, and to get there the council is asking the project partners--China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States--to cough up an extra €4 billion ($4.5 billion). … That may end up delaying the first D-T experiments and increasing the overall cost, but “it reduces annual cost for the partners and it was supported by all of them,” Bigot says. “They all feel more comfortable and there is no rush.” The partners have agreed to the approach in principle while management works out the schedule in more detail. The final decision will be made at the next council meeting in November.  June 16, 2016
• U.K.-E.U. fission (BREXIT) could harm fusion research (ScienceInsider June 14, 2016 - D. Clery):  If the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union on 23 June, the exit will break up cross-border collaborations and cut off E.U. funding for U.K. scientists. For fusion research, the possibility of a Brexit is particularly worry
ing. Europe’s largest fusion facility, the Joint European Torus (JET), is sited just south of Oxford, U.K.; a vote to leave would put it in a legal limbo that could halt vital research supporting the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), now under construction in southern France. June 14, 2016
• DOE Recommends US Stay in ITER, Warns of Potential Delays to Other Projects (AIP/FYI-71, June10, 2016): The Department of Energy recommends that the U.S. remain a member of the international ITER fusion project through fiscal year 2018 and then reassess its participation. The department notes that without budget increases for the Office of Science, the required U.S. contributions to ITER could delay other facility construction projects, such as the pending upgrades to x-ray and neutron user facilities which an advisory committee just finished assessing. June 12, 2016
• DOE Responds to Commission Finding Dysfunctional Relationship Between Department and National Labs (AIP/FYI-23, February 24, 2016): The Department of Energy and two of its advisory bodies largely concur with the findings of the congressionally-chartered Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories. The Commission’s report is the latest in a long series of studies which have discovered a dysfunctional relationship between the Department and the national labs. (see May 23, 2016 post below).  reposted June 12, 2016
• NNSA OFFICE OF INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION has released the first-ever comprehensive National Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program Framework. (May 16, 2016):  This Framework was developed over 20 months using input from hundreds of technical staff, program managers, and academic partners from over a dozen institutions with direct interest in the ICF and related high energy density (HED) aspects of National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). The report includes: Ten-Year High Energy-Density Science Strategic Plan, Integrated Experimental Campaigns, Priority Research Directions and National Diagnostics Plan. The document will be revised annually with each Framework element updated as needed. June 9, 2016
• 2015 Review of the DOE Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Energy Density Science Portfolio, Volumes I and II (updated) (May 2016): In September 2012, at the conclusion of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC), the NNSA committed itself to conducting a review of the progress toward ignition three years later. NNSA called upon twenty subject matter experts to independently review and comprehensively assess the progress and program plans for the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density (HED) science portfolio within the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). Updated June 10, 2016
• Briefing to the US fusion community about the Secretary's ITER report - Ed Synakowski has announced that tomorrow (Wednesday, June 1) at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, a Zoom webinar has been scheduled for a discussion of the recent report by Dr. Moniz about the continued participation by the U.S. in the international ITER project.   May 31, 2016
  
• DOE Releases Report to Congress on Continued US Participation in ITER:  As expected by many, the report recommends "that the U.S. remain a partner in the ITER project through FY 2018 and focus on efforts related to First Plasma."
  
• TO ITER OR NOT TO ITER (POLITICO, May 27, 2016): The international fusion energy project ITER has long been saddled with delays and other woes, but Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is urging Congress to not pull out of the effort for at least another two and a half years. “Having fully assessed the facts regarding the U.S. contributions to the ITER project, I recommend that the U.S. remain a partner in the ITER project through FY 2018,” Moniz wrote in a new report.
  Moniz, who has tried to rewrite the book on Energy Department project management, said that the agency’s recommendation relies on sustained progress on ITER, increased transparency of its risks, and a suite of management reforms it plans to take to the ITER Council. While House appropriators included money for the project in fiscal 2017, the Senate didn’t. And Sen. Lamar Alexander doesn't seem a need to change course. "In a time of tight budgets,” he said in a statement, Moniz’s report “makes clear that moving ahead with the project would come at the expense of other Office of Science priorities that the Department of Energy considers more important — and that I consider more important.” May 27, 2016
• US advised to stick with troubled fusion reactor ITER  (Nature News, May 27, 2016): The troubled multibillion-euro nuclear-fusion project ITER has improved its performance and management, and the United States should continue to support the experiment at least until 2018, the US Department of Energy (DOE) said in a report to Congress released on 26 May. After that, the agency said, the country should re-evaluate its position. (Archive copy pdf)  May 27, 2016
• Should US remain a part of international fusion project? (Knoxville Sentinel, F. Munger) : Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz this week released a much-anticipated report on U.S. participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, and he recommends that the U.S. continue its role in the biggest fusion energy project in history.  But the issue is far from settled, and the next step may come during the House and Senate conference committee on the fiscal year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. May 27, 2016
• U.S. should stick with troubled ITER fusion project, secretary of energy recommends (ScienceInsider- A. Cho, May 26, 2016)- The United States should continue for at least 2 more years its participation in ITER, the gigantic—and massively over budget-international fusion experiment under construction in southern France. That is the much anticipated—but not surprising-recommendation of a report from the Department of Energy (DOE) that congressional budgetmakers ordered last December and that was delivered to Capitol Hill this week.
  But there's a catch: To keep going, DOE says, the U.S. ITER effort will need significantly more money-at least $230 million in 2018, or $105 million more than DOE has requested for it in fiscal year 2017, which begins 1 October. And the report doesn't say whether the Unites States should continue in ITER if, as seems likely, Congress doesn’t agree to provide that extra money.
  "It's a punt and everybody expected a punt," a Senate staffer who works for the Republican majority tells ScienceInsider. "But in this budget climate tough decisions need to be made. They certainly didn't make the decision. May 26, 2016
• Energy Secretary Moniz Launches the Nation’s Newest Fusion Experiment at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory  (May 20, 2016).   While the event was mainly to celebrate the successful completion of the five year $94M Upgrade of NSTX, Moniz also talked about the need for long term approaches, such as fusion, to “Decarbonize the electrical power sector.”  He also noted the importance of innovation in providing the new approaches for this challenge, and lauded the recent successes of ARPA-E in starting various innovative initiatives including several in fusion.  He lamented that constrained budgets due to sequestration mandates were holding back progress.  Senator Cory Booker (D,NJ) spoke eloquently  and with passion, when describing his advocacy of scientific innovation as a way to improve the quality of life for all people, especially the less fortunate.  Secretary Moniz also noted the need to rebuild the strategic partnership between the DOE and the National Labs.  This appeared to be a reference to the recommendations made in the 2015 Report by the Congressionally mandated Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories (CRENEL). (This report is recommended reading.) May 23, 2016
  
• Final Report of the Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories (CRENEL) October 2015:
•  Volume 1 - Executive Summary
•  Volume 2 - Technical Chapters and Appendices  Posted May 23, 2016
• Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Review of CRENEL Report  January, 2016  Posted May 23, 2016
  
• DOE Response to the CRENEL Report  February, 2016  Posted May 23, 2016
  
• Editorial Comment being prepared
  
• The world fusion community waits for the US DOE Report to the US Congress on whether the Administration recommends the US continues participation in ITER or seeks to terminate participation.  It is now expected that the report will be released this week after Secretary Moniz has debriefed Congressional leaders on the report. Updated May 23, 2016
• Senate passes Energy & Water Appropriations Bill on May 12, 2016 that does not include funding for US-ITER participation. As of May 13, 2016, there has not been an announcement that the DOE Report with a recommendation on continued US participation in ITER has been transmitted by DOE to Congress  May 13, 2016
• The FY 2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act (Dec 18, 2015) requires that: The Department shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress not later than February 15, 2016, and again on August 15, 2016, a report on the status of the ITER project and the implementation of the Director General's Action Plan, including new budget projections, project schedule, cost overruns, delays, organizational structure changes, manufacturing deliveries, assembly, and installation.
  Provided further, That not later than May 2, 2016, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a report recommending either that the United States remain a partner in the ITER project after October 2017 or terminate participation, which shall include, as applicable, an estimate of either the full cost, by fiscal year, of all future Federal funding requirements for construction, operation, and maintenance of ITER or the cost of termination. [from text of House Amendment #1 to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2029, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016].
• The ITER Review Group Report (ICRG) is now available on this web site for you to read and draw your own conclusions.  Below are recent articles based on the ICRG Report.
  
• More delays for ITER, as partners balk at costs. Review warns that new timeline could still be too optimistic  (Science: D. Clery and A.Cho, May 5, 2016) 
  
• ITER costs are pinned down, with caveats (Physics Today: D. Kramer, April 29, 2016) External review of international fusion project comes as Department of Energy prepares to make recommendations to Congress on whether US should remain involved.  Posted May 10, 2016
  
• UPDATED: Panel backs ITER fusion project’s new schedule, but balks at cost (ScienceInsider, D. Clery) – April 28:   At one of the most critical time in its history, leaders of the ITER fusion project  are struggling to find a way to keep the project on track as schedules slip, costs rise, and budgets tighten. The project’s management last year put forward a revised schedule and cost, and the council of representatives from its member states asked a panel of independent experts to review them. Yesterday, the council met in special session to hear a report of the panel’s conclusions. The report-which has been seen by Science-concludes that, while the new schedule is feasible (powering up the reactor in 2025 for the first time), the extra funding needed to achieve it (€4.6 billion) is too much to hope for.
  The council has now tasked the ITER management with finding a way to keep to the schedule while remaining within the financial constraints and differing budget cycles of the seven partners in the project--China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. “There is now a credible estimate of the schedule and cost envelope with respect to the financial capabilities of all the members,” says ITER director general Bernard Bigot. “All the pieces are in place to make a decision.” That decision will come at the council’s next meeting in June.
   April 29, 2016
• ITER Council Review Group (ICRG) provides external validation of ITER Project progress --The ITER Council accepted the ICRG report and acknowledged findings of tangible, on-schedule project performance. It acknowledged that with these converging elements a solid basis is now emerging for the establishment of the Resource-Loaded Updated Integrated Schedule up to First Plasma and a high-level paper detailing the schedule from First Plasma to Deuterium-Tritium Operation. The ITER Council charged the Director-General with completing the refinement of the schedule and associated resources presented at IC-17, following iterations with Domestic Agencies and taking into account the recommendations of the ICRG report and the known constraints of the Members, in time for submission to the ITER Council in June 2016 (IC-18). The Council decided that the ICRG report be released immediately for the use of each Member's Government.  Hopefully, this report will be made available to the US fusion community. April 28 2016
• ITER leader faces tough questions, even from relatively supportive U.S. House panel (ScienceInsider - Adrian Cho, April 21, 2016) - In a tense exchange with Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R–CA), Bigot acknowledged that by the time ITER starts running late next decade its total cost will likely exceed $20 billion. That’s a big jump over the roughly $12 billion ITER was estimated to cost in 2006, when China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States agreed to build the machine. The original plan also called for ITER to start running this year. More might have been done with the money slated for ITER if it had been spent instead on research involving more conventional nuclear energy, Rohrabacher said. "I still think that if we had put $20 billion into fission we would have done a lot more for humanity," he said. April 22 2016
• The Energy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a Hearing - An Overview of Fusion Energy Science on April 20, 2016.  ITER DG Bernard Bigot, Stewart Prager PPPL and Scott Hsu LANL appeared as witnesses.  Witness statements, and video recording of the 2 hour hearing are available.  April 20, 2016
• House Appropriation Subcommittee on Markup on the FY 2017 Appropriation bill for Energy and Water Development recommends: $450,000,000 for Fusion Energy Sciences, $12,000,000 above fiscal year 2016 and $51,822,000 above the budget request, and $125,000,000 for the U.S. contribution to the ITER project. The Committee directs the Department to submit not later than December 1, 2016, a follow-up report to its May 2, 2016, report updating findings on its ITER recommendations. April 18, 2016
• The ITER decision (Atomic City Underground, F.  Munger, April 16, 2016))  - May 2 may be a pivotal date for the fusion energy community in the United States. April 16, 2016
  
• D-Day Approaches for Continuation of US Participation in ITER:  At the November 17-18, 2015 ITER Council meeting, the ITER Council reviewed the progress made by the ITER Organization and Domestic agencies during the previous six months. The ITER Council approved a schedule and milestones covering 2016-2017, and decided to conduct an independent review of the overall schedule and associated resources and to consider possible additional measures for expediting the schedule and reducing costs. (n.b.- This review is scheduled to be completed by April 15, 2016). The Council plans to complete these reviews and reach agreement on the overall schedule through First Plasma by June 2016.  The ITER Council has scheduled an Extraordinary meeting for April 27-28, 2016 to consider the report of the independent review of the ITER schedule and International Organization budget needs. posted April 14, 2016
• The FY 2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act (Dec 18, 2015) requires that: The Department shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress not later than February 15, 2016, and again on August 15, 2016, a report on the status of the ITER project and the implementation of the Director General's Action Plan, including new budget projections, project schedule, cost overruns, delays, organizational structure changes, manufacturing deliveries, assembly, and installation.
  Provided further, That not later than May 2, 2016, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a report recommending either that the United States remain a partner in the ITER project after October 2017 or terminate participation, which shall include, as applicable, an estimate of either the full cost, by fiscal year, of all future Federal funding requirements for construction, operation, and maintenance of ITER or the cost of termination. [from text of House Amendment #1 to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2029, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016]
  Present Status- the Interim Report on the status of ITER was submitted to Congress by February 15, 2016.  However, the information in the report has not been released to the public.April 14, 2016
  
• Senate and House Appropriation Subcommittees on Energy and Water Development met on April 13, 2015 to mark up the FY 2017 Appropriation bills for Energy and Water Development.  The Senate EWD SC marked up bill "eliminates funding for ITER, which is under construction in France, saving $125 million. ITER continues to crowd out other federal science investments where the United States has maintained leadership, including high performance computing and materials science."  The details of the House mark up regarding fusion funding were not released. April 14, 2016
• European Parliament refuses to sign off ITER accounts (April 7, 2016): The European Parliament has voted to withhold approval of the 2014 accounts of the multibillion-dollar ITER fusion project currently under construction in Southern France, saying the budgetary and financial management lacks coherence and was often incomplete, and criticising the ITER management Council  for its failure to publish a new action plan. posted April 14, 2016
• President Releases FY2017 Budget Proposal - Fusion Energy Science Budget Overview;  FY15 act = $458M, FY16 est = $438M with FY17 est = $398M.  The $125 million requested in FY 2017 (for US ITER) will allow the most critical USITER activities to make progress, as well as provide cash funds for ITER Organization operations and the Director General's Reserve Fund.The requested level of funding for FY 2017 supports U.S. in-kind hardware contributions; funds the USIPO staff and support contractors at ORNL, PPPL, and SRNL; and provides funding toward the FY 2017 monetary contribution to the IO.     (From Office of Science Budget Justification - Vol 4, page 157-158) February 9, 2016
• DOE FY 2017 Budget Justification for all DOE Programs  February 10, 2016
• Office of Science Budget Justification Details Volume 4
• Office of Science Budget Presentation - C. Murray  February 10, 2016
• Fusion Budget Justification Details  (extracted from Volume 4 above)  Updated February 9, 2016
  
• Fusion Budget Presentation - E Synakowski  February 10, 2016
• Fusion Energy Sciences Strategic Plan (2015-2025) - Final version  February 10, 2016
• Fusion Energy Advisory Committee Meeting January 13-14, 2016 - FESAC met to hear a report on ITER Progress by Director General Bigot, reports from four recent technical workshops and reports on current US fusion activities.   posted February 10, 2016
• The Office Of Science Fusion Energy Science Program: A Ten‐Year Strategic Plan - This report responds to legislative language set forth in the Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, for a strategic plan for fusion energy sciences research in the United States. The vision described here builds on the present U.S. activities in fusion plasma and materials science relevant to the energy goal and extends plasma science at the frontier of discovery. The plan is founded on recommendations made by the National Academies, a number of recent studies by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC), and the Administration's views on the greatest opportunities for U.S. scientific leadership.    Updated February 10, 2016
• Forum on the Future of Fusion Energy and Plasma Science Research in the U.S. calls for Fusion Community Involvement in the development of a Long Range Strategic Plan for Fusion research in the U. S. - The University Fusion Association organized a forum (Dec 14-15, 2015) attended by over 60 fusion researchers from over 30 institutions to develop follow-on community-led activities that address critical issues for the success of fusion and plasma research in the U.S.  January 6, 2015    Posted February 26, 2016
  
• 36th Annual Fusion Power Associates Meeting on Strategies to Fusion Power was held in Washington DC on December 16-17, 2016 -  The meeting of over 100 fusion scientists from around the world was highlighted by the Keynote address given by Norman Augustine (Board of Directors American Securities Project, CEO, retired Lockheed Martin Corp),  and  a presentation on The ITER Project - Moving Forward at Full Speed by Bernard Bigot, ITER Director General. December 19, 2015
• The Wendelstein 7-X fusion device is now in operation - On 10th December 2015 the first helium plasma was produced in the Wendelstein 7-X fusion device at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald. After more than a year of technical preparations and tests, experimental operation has now commenced according to plan with a successful start with helium plasma and hydrogen plasma to follow at the beginning of 2016,  Wendelstein 7-X, the world's largest stellarator-type fusion device, will investigate the suitability of this type of device for a power station December 10, 2015
  
• The ITER Council held its 17th meeting on Nov 17-18 at ITER Headquarters in Cadarache, France.  The anticipated objective was to review progress toward developing an integrated baseline schedule for the completion of ITER Construction and the initiation of operation.   "The ITER Council approved a schedule and milestones covering 2016-2017, and decided to conduct an independent review of the overall schedule and associated resources and to consider possible additional measures for expediting the schedule and reducing costs. The Council plans to complete these reviews and reach agreement on the overall schedule through First Plasma by June 2016."  (Official Press Release)  November 19, 2015
• ITER fusion project to take at least 6 years longer than planned (ScienceInsider, D. Clery, Nov 19, 2015): The multibillion-dollar ITER fusion project will take another 6 years to build beyond the--now widely discredited--official schedule, a meeting of the governing council was told this week. ITER management has also asked the seven international partners backing the project for additional funding to finish the job. November 19, 2015
• NSTX-U Achieves First Plasma and begins final Preparations for Experiments to begin later this year:  On August 10, 2015, NSTX-U achieved a plasma current exceeding 100 kilo-amperes and had previously injected a 40keV neutral beam from the added beam line into the torus, thereby satisfying the requirements for completion of the construction project.  September 25, 2015
• In July 2015, the ITER Project will move to the European Commission (EC) Directorate-General for Energy and will no longer be under the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation - ITER News Line, 6 July, 2015:  This allows the EC to position fusion at the core of their long-term energy strategy. The European Commission has presented its plan for an Energy Union, which aims to increase energy security within Europe and at the same time contribute to global climate goals. In that context, ITER is now playing a key role. The transfer of the responsibility inside the European Commission symbolizes that the EC no longer sees ITER as just a big science project. July 7, 2015
• Visible Progress in ITER, But Still Important Issues to be Resolved: The ITER Council met for the 16th time June 17 -18, 2015 at ITER Headquarters in Cadarache, FR, and welcomed the actions implemented by the new Director-General to strengthen leadership and management in order to achieve a project-oriented organization. The Council members were pleased to see the visible progress in construction - such as facility construction, receipt and installation of large components, and progress in manufacturing of specialized components - as well as the vision and actions to date of the new Director-General Bernard Bigot and the progress made in implementing prior management assessment recommendations with issues such as: the establishment of the Executive Project Board (EPB), the reorganization of the ITER Organization Central Team to enhance the organization's capability, the creation of Project Teams to address system-wide issues, and the implementation of a Reserve Fund. Press Release   June 18, 2015
• Pull Together for Fusion - (Nature Comment), Bernard Bigot, ITER director-general explains how he will strengthen leadership and management to refocus the project's aim of harnessing nuclear fusion.  June 9, 2015
• Senate subcommittee moves to pull U.S. out of ITER fusion project  (ScienceInsider, A. Cho, May 19, 2015) - For the second year in a row, Senate budget makers have moved to pull the United States out of ITER, the huge and hugely over budget international fusion experiment under construction in Cadarache, France. "This year we have recommended eliminating funding for the U.S. contribution [to ITER]," said Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development at the subcommittee's markup of the bill today. May 20, 2015
• Setting ITER on the Right Course for Success - ITER Director General, Bernard Bigot, announced his proposed Action Plan at the ITER Council meeting March 5, 2015.  It is urgent to establish a stable ITER baseline and its associated optimized resource loaded schedule necessary for a timely cost-effective start of D-T plasmas. The DG's proposed plan is expected to produce the first results of a structured attempt to a new baseline definition with its associated a resource loaded schedule in time for the November 2015 Council Meeting. It is proposed to report on the progress on this implementation and on the methods put in place at the June 2015 Council Meeting.  May 11, 2015
• The U.S. House of Representatives, by a 240-177 vote, passed the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that funds U.S. Department of Energy programs, including fusion.  The House Bill would provide $467.6 million for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, which is $100 thousand above the current year and $47.6 million above the President's request. All the increase is earmarked for the U.S. domestic fusion effort. The U.S. contribution to the international ITER project would remain at $150 million.  The House Bill would also provide $511.05 million for the Inertial Confinement and High Yield program within NNSA, which is $1.845 million below the current year, but $8.6 million above the President's request. May 3, 2015
• House Energy and Water Appropriation Subcommittee Marks up FY 2016 Budget - From Chairman Simpson's Opening Statement: Funding for Basic Science Research is $5.1 billion, a small increase over last year's level. Within this, funding for fusion energy is maintained at $317 million, restoring the cuts proposed by the Administration. The Committee's Full Report includes the following on fusion:  The Committee recommends $467,600,000 for Fusion Energy Sciences, $100,000 above fiscal year 2015 and $47,600,000 above the budget request. Within available funds, the recommendation provides not less than $69,500,000 for the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX); not less than $80,000,000 for DIII-D; and not less than $18,000,000 for Alcator C-Mod. The Committee recommends $317,600,000 for the domestic fusion program, $100,000 above fiscal year 2015 and $47,600,000 above the budget request. The Committee recommends $150,000,000 for the U.S. contribution to the ITER project, the same as fiscal year 2015 and the budget request. The House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill is also available. Updated April 21, 2015
• The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee met March 12-13, 2015 in Gaithersburg, MD to discuss status of fusion funding and the plan for developing the Strategic Plan for the US Fusion Energy Sciences Program Updated April 3, 2015
• FY 2016 Budget Request to Congress for DOE's Office of Science & More - P Dehmer, Acting Director Office of Science/DOE Updated April 3, 2015
• FES Update on Strategic Planning - E. Synakowski, Associate Director Fusion Energy Sciences/ DOE Updated April 3, 2015
• Committee of Visitors Review of Fusion Energy Science Procedures - A. Bhattacharjee  (Draft COV Panel Report, Final FESAC report will be posted when available)
  
• New Charge for Non‐Fusion‐Energy FES Applications - J. Van Dam Fusion Energy Sciences/DOE
• Update on Community Engagement Workshops - G. Nardella Fusion Energy Sciences/DOE
• Information on the Technical Workshops and Information on submitting Input. 
• DOE Workshop on Integrated Simulations for Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences - P. Bonoli, MIT
  
• Plans for the Plasma Science Frontiers Study FESAC Briefing - F. Skiff, Univ IA
  
• Community Input on Plasma Materials Interactions - R. Maingi, PPPL, S. Zinkle, ORNL
• Update on Plans for Community Input to PMI Workshop - R. Maingi 
• Workshop on Transients - C. Greenfield, GA
  
• Public Comment
• M. Zarnstorff, PPPL
• M. Greenwald, MIT
• D. Mauer, University Fusion Association, Auburn
• S. Dean, Fusion Power Associates
  
•  Frontiers, Challenges, and Opportunities for U.S. Nuclear Science - T.J. Hallman DOE/OS/NP Updated April 3, 2015
• ITER Project Progress, G. Murdoch, US IPO
  
• Bernard Bigot is New ITER Director General - At its Extraordinary Meeting held in Paris on 5 March 2015, the ITER Council appointed Dr Bernard Bigot as the next Director-General of the ITER Organization, succeeding Dr Osamu Motojima. He has taken up his duties as Director-General immediately. In 2014, faced with slippage in the schedule, the ITER Council decided to establish a new baseline for the project (scope, schedule and cost). Development of the new schedule began under DG Motojima.  DG Bigot is continuing this effort and plans to provide a new baseline at the ITER Council meeting in November, 2015. The ITER Council endorsed the Action Plan presented by Dr. Bigot, which addressed and is in line with the recommendations of the most recent Management Assessment, and stressed the importance of delivery of the revised project baseline.  March 5, 2015
• Tough Questions for ITER's New Director General - Bernard Bigot, A. Hellemans, IEEE Spectrum, Mar 20 , 2015
  
• An interview with ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot -ITER Communication
  
• Bernard Bigot appointed as new ITER Director General -  Fusion for Energy
  
• Office of Fusion Energy releases plans for Technical Workshops that will provide community input to DOE planning for the US fusion program.  February 9, 2015
• President's Proposed FY2016 Budget will be released on February 2, 2015
• DOE FY16 Budget Details
• Office of Science Budget Overview
  
• FY 2016 Budget Request to Congress for DOE's Office of Science - P. Dehmer, Acting Director, Office of Science
  
• Fusion Energy Science Budget Justification Details -
  
• Rollout of the President's Proposed FY 2016 Budget for Fusion Energy Sciences- E. Synakowski, DOE/FES  Posted February 3, 2015
  
• Office of Science Budget Details -
  
• NNSA Budget Overview and Summary - 
• NNSA-ICF_Ignition and High Yield Details 
• DOE's advanced computing program would get a big boost as science office grows 5.3%. Under the proposed budget, the Department of Energy's Office of Science would get a 5.3% increase overall, to $5.3 billion. The biggest bump within DOE goes to their Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, which would see an increase of 14.8%, to $621 million. Basic Energy Sciences would get a boost of 6.7%, to $1.8 billion. Nuclear Physics would increase by 5.0%, to $625 million. High Energy Physics would get $788 million, a 2.9% increase. Biological and Environmental Sciences would grow by 3.4% to $612 million. Fusion Energy Sciences, however, would shrink by 10% to $420 million. - Emily Conover Posted @ 2:30pm
  
• The money chase, 2016: U.S. budget out today, be ready with this 6-chart primer on science spending (ScienceInsider, D. Malakoff)
  
• The Japanese Government has received a Report by the Joint-Core Team on the Establishment of Technology Bases Required for the Development of a Fusion DEMO Reactor Updated March 6, 2015 and Chart of Establishment of Technology Bases for DEMO Updated January 14, 2016 Japanese fusion research and development is now in the phase targeting the achievement of  self-ignition condition and realization of long-pulse burn by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, and the establishment of the technology base required for the development of a "DEMOnstration fusion reactor" (hereafter referred to as "DEMO"). This phase is called the Third Phase Program with the goal to show the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy.   Joint Core Team means a joint effort throughout the Japanese fusion community including JAEA, NIFS, universities, and industries. January 22, 2015
• Laser fusion, with a difference (Science Jan 9, 2015 - D. Clery) -  Laser Megajoule  (LMJ) at the CEA Lab near Bordeaux, in France is coming online with first experiments  using a single main amplifier chain, the full capability with 22 main amplifier chains will be realized within the next decade.  The general facility parameters are similar to those of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at LLNL in the U. S.  LMJ will place top priority on supporting nuclear weapons research. January 9, 2015
• The final reports of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) on Strategic Planning for the US Fusion Energy Sciences Program have been transmitted to the Office of Science. The reports, include the transmittal letter, a FESAC report initially drafted by the FESAC Strategy Panel and a minority report by some FESAC members. January 2, 2015
• Professor Emeritus Setsuo Ichimaru of the University of Tokyo has been selected as the first Laureate of the S. Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics by the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies, Division of Plasma Physics. This prize is awarded to a scientist who has made seminal / pioneering contribution in the field of plasma physics. December 26, 2014
• The 35th annual meeting of Fusion Power Associates was held December 16-17, 2014 in Washington, DC. Over 40 talks were presented by scientists and government officials. Copies of the slides for most talks are available.  December 20, 2014
• U.S. fusion effort melts down- Scientific community battles with its federal office (Science, A. Cho)  The U. S. fusion community and the Department of Energy are struggling to define a path forward as the funding needs for the world's landmark fusion experiment (ITER) increase while the total U. S. fusion budget is severely constrained. December 19, 2014
• On December 9, 2014, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled the fiscal year 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill.  House and Senate Conferees have agreed on an FY2015 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that extends funding through September 30, 2015 for most government programs, including fusion. These programs have been operating on a Continuing Resolution (CR) since October 1, 2014. The CR expires this week. The Bill is expected to pass House and Senate and be signed by the President over the next few days. The bill includes $5.1billion for science research in the Department of Energy, the same as the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The bill also rejects cuts proposed by the President to the domestic fusion energy program - funding the program at $318 million.  The bill would also limit U. S. funding of ITER construction to $150M.  This will increase the total cost and delay completion of the U. S. contributions to ITER construction. December 10, 2014
• New ITER boss promises to streamline management and repair ties with the U.S. (ScienceInsider-D. Clery) -  ITER Director General designate responded to several questions from ScienceInsider. November 24, 2014
• ITER's new chief will shake-up troubled fusion reactor (Nature , D. Butler)  - Bernard Bigot, the next director general of ITER, will reform the decentralized structure of the project. Bigot says he will submit an action plan to the ITER Council before the end of January 2015. This will include a proposal to abolish ITER's current, decentralized structure, in which the central ITER Organization is responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the reactor, but has no direct control over each member state's  ITER agencies.  Bigot wants a single, tighter organization with the director general responsible for controlling the entire project, rather like European physics laboratory CERN or a multinational company. "We need global management of ITER," he says. After Bigot submits his plan, an  ITER Council meeting is expected to be held in February to approve the action plan, with Bigot being formally appointed immediately after. Updated November 23, 2014
• ITER fusion project names French nuclear official as new chief (ScienceInsider D. Clery) November 20, 2014
• The ITER Council meeting for the 15th time has nominated Bernard Bigot to succeed Osamu Motojima as the Director-General of the ITER Organization. Bernard Bigot is currently Chairman of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, CEA (Administrateur general, Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives). He is also the High Representative for ITER in France.  The ITER Council welcomed the completion of Tokamak Complex foundations and the start of construction on the facility's walls. Discussions during the two-day meeting focused on the actions underway by the ITER Organization and the seven ITER Members to improve the overall project schedule and enhance project execution. No detailed information on progress improving the schedule and project execution has been made available.  (Official Press release)  November 20, 2014
• TFTR Commemorated the 20th anniversary of the first achievement of 10 MW of fusion power  in the laboratory (summary slide show) on November 2, 1994.   A special colloquium, Achieving 10MW Fusion Power in TFTR: A Retrospective, (slides) will be given by Michael Bell at 2pm (Eastern time).  The colloquium was recorded and is available at https://mediacentral.princeton.edu/id/1_yerm31an.   November 18, 2014
• The annual meeting of the University Fusion Associates (UFA) was held October 27, 2014 during the APS-DPP meeting. Updated November 6, 2014
• 2014 Activities of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) -  Mark Koepke WVU
  
• FES Considerations for Strategic Planning - Ed Synakowski, FES, DOE
• NSF's Plasma Physics Program - Steven Gitomer, NSF
  
• The 56th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
 was held October 27-31, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana.   Presentations will be posted as they become available.  October 30, 2014
• Ignition at NIF: Where We Have Been, and Where We Are Going -  Review Talk, M. Rosen, LLNL
• Recent Progress on Spherical Torus Research and Implications for Fusion Energy Development Path - Review Talk, M. Ono, PPPL
• Dynamos: Observation, Theory, and Experiment - Review Talk, C. Forest, U.Wis.
• Advanced divertor magnetic  configurations for tokamaks: concepts, status, future- ECC Technical Meeting V. Soukhanovskii , LLNL Posted November 11, 2014
• Whistlers, Helicons, Lower Hybrid Waves: the Physics of RF Wave Absorption for Current Drive Without Cyclotron Resonances - CT-2 Tutorial R. Pinsker , GA Posted November 11, 2014
• Novel Reactor Relevant RF Actuator Schemes for the Lower Hybrid and the Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies - Invited Talk, P Bonoli, MIT Posted November 9, 2014
• 3D Toroidal Physics - Testing the Boundaries of Symmetry Breaking, Tutorial D. Spong, ORNL  Posted November 120, 2014
• Who will save the tokamak - Harry Potter, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shaquille O'Neal or Donald Trump? - J. Freidberg, et.al. MIT Posted November 11, 2014
• After Election 2014: FUSION RESEARCH (ScienceInsider, A Cho, October 24, 2014): Should we stay or should we go? Once the voters have spoken, that's the question Congress will have to answer regarding the United States' participation in ITER, the hugely overbudget fusion experiment under construction in Cadarache, France. Some lawmakers say it may be time for the United States to bow out, especially as the growing ITER commitment threatens to starve U.S.-based fusion research programs. The next Congress may have to decide the issue - if the current one doesn't pull the plug first when it returns to Washington, D.C., for a 6-week lame-duck session.  October 27, 2014
• Are old secrets behind Lockheed's new fusion machine? (ScienceInsider D. Clery, Oct 16, 2014): The defense firm Lockheed Martin sent tech geeks into a frenzy yesterday when it revealed a few scant details of a "compact fusion reactor" (CFR) that a small team has been working on at the company"s secretive Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. Fusion scientists will remain skeptical until details are presented in a scientific forum.  October 16, 2014
• Are mini fusion power plants possible? Lockheed Martin's compact reactor concept / fusion drives for aircraft and trucks? (Max-Planck-Institut fur Plasmaphysik)- The patent applications for the device proposed by Lockheed Martin do not involve a really new concept, but combine the known concepts of a magnetic cusp and a magnetic mirror. Both are impaired by the fact that charged particles can escape along the magnetic field lines out of the confinement region. November 15, 2014
• Fusion Research Runs into Turbulence, (APS News November, 2014-M. l Lucibella): A recent Department of Energy (DOE) advisory committee report about the future of U.S. fusion research has drawn strong criticism from academic researchers feeling squeezed by a tightening fusion budget and a shift in U.S. research priorities.  The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) issued a report written by its Strategic Plan Panel that highlights a number of top-priority science problems to solve in the next decade. The panel identified new facilities to build, but also a number of reductions and closures at existing facilities. More than fifty scientists, including lab directors, have written to the committee expressing their concern about the directions it recommends, and criticizing how the committee arrived at its conclusions. Posted November 7, 2014
• Critics attack new 10-year US fusion plan  (IOP Physics World News - D. Clery) - A new report that seeks to map out US priorities in fusion research over the next 10 years has received scathing reviews from American fusion researchers.  According to critics, the report – written by a FESAC subcommittee – lacks vision, does not adequately peer review the proposals that it made, and fails to address the real problems faced by fusion research. (Archival Copy-pdf) October 31, 2014
• U.S. fusion plan draws blistering critique (ScienceInsider, D. Clery, Oct 15, 2014) - Many U.S. fusion scientists are blasting a report that seeks to map out a 10-year strategic plan for their field, calling it "flawed," "unsatisfactory," and the product of a rushed process rife with potential conflicts of interest. DOE is now considering its next move and should have plenty input from fusion researchers as it mulls the options. October 16, 2014
• The 25th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference was held in St Petersburg, Russian Federation (October 13-18) - Scientists from DOE Laboratories and employees of DOE have been prohibited from attending by DOE policy.   October 13, 2014 , Updated January 28, 2015)
  
• IAEA Program and Book of Abstracts
• Live Streaming of Presentations
  
• Presentations as available
• O-3 Fusion-Fission Hybrid Systems and Molten Salt Technologies in Large-Scale Nuclear Energy,  E. Velikhov,   Opening Session Keynote (posted January 28, 2015)
• OV/1-2 The ITER Project Construction Status, O. Motojima ITER (posted October 25, 2014)
• OV/1-3 Overview of the JET Results, F. Romanelli, European Commission
• OV1-4 DIII-D Research to Address Key Challenges for ITER and Fusion Energy, R. J. Buttery, GA
  
• OV/2-2 Recent ASDEX Upgrade Research in Support of ITER and DEMO, H. Zohm Germany
  
• OV/2-5 Alcator C-Mod: Research in Support of ITER and Steps Beyond, E. Marmar USA
• S/1-1 Summary EX/C, EX/D, PPC, Slides: or,  Audio,  C. Hidalgo, National Fusion Laboratory, CIEMAT, Madrid Spain
  
• S/1-2 Summary EX/S, EX/W, ICC, Slides:  or Audio A. Sen, Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar, India
  
• S/2-1 Summary Theory,  Slides:  or  Audio(50 MB),  A. Fukuyama, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
• S/2-2 Summary IFE, S. Jacquemot, LULI, France  Audio is first half of Technology audio, see next post
  
• S/2-3 Summary FIP, FNS, MPT, SEE,  Slides: or Audio  B. Kuteev Russia  (Note: audio contains IFE Summary- Jacquemot followed by Technology Summary-Kuteev)
  
• 
  
• The European Commission launches EUROfusion - On 9 October 2014 the European Commission officially launched the European Consortium for the Development of Fusion Energy, EUROfusion for short. EUROfusion manages the European fusion research activities on behalf of Euratom, which awards the appropriate grant to the consortium. The new consortium agreement will substitute the fourteen year-old European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA), as well as 29 bilateral Association agreements between the Commission and research institutions in 27 countries. October 13, 2014
• FESAC held a webcast meeting on October 10, 2014 and approved FESAC Panel Report On Strategic Planning: Priorities Assessment And Budget Scenarios  by a vote of 6-Yes to 3-No subject to minor revisions.  October 10, 2014
• Public Comments made to FESAC at the meeting. October 10, 2014
• Public Comment on FESAC Process - M. Greenwald, MIT
  
• Comment on the draft report "Strategic Planning:Priorities Assessment and Budget Scenarios" - University Fusion Community submitted by C. Sovinec Univ Wisc
  
• Critique of FESAC Strategic Planning Sub-Panel Draft Report - submitted by M. Porkolab, MIT
• Public Comment on Draft FESAC-SP Report, submitted by D. Meade, Princeton, NJ
  
• FESAC Strategic Plan Final Report - Personal Comments by S. Dean, Gaithersburg, MD
  
• FESAC-SP - A Ticket to Valley of Death? - submitted prior to the meeting by Charles Skinner, fusion community, Princeton, NJ October 8, 2014
• US plans for future of fusion research (Nature, M. Zastrow) - As the international ITER project to develop an experimental nuclear fusion reactor eats into research budgets around the world, an advisory panel to the US Department of Energy recommends mothballing at least one of three major experiments and focusing on research necessary to bring ITER online.  September 23, 2014
• FESAC Meeting was held on September 22-23, 2014 - September 22, 2014
  
• The Draft FESAC Strategy Panel report is available.
  
• FESAC Strategy Report Overview Talk (M. Koepke, West Virginia University) Updated September 24, 2014
• US ITER Project Progress (B. Nelson, US-ITER Project) September 27, 2014
• The 2014 Committee of Visitors: Status (A. Bhattacharjee, PPPL, Princeton University) September 27, 2014
• Public Comments (made at the FESAC meeting) September 23, 2014
• David Hill
  
• Stephen Dean
• Public Comments (submitted after reading the Draft FESAC Strategy report)
• Public Comments will be posted here by FIRE webmaster after they have been submitted to FESAC and/or FESAC Strategy Panel  October 2, 2014
• Updates on status of the ITER Project
• US Fusion Community delivers letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development expressing concern about the language included in the Senate's FY2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill and report that would not only cut the budget for the domestic fusion program and underfund U.S. contributions to ITER in FY 2015, but also order U.S. withdrawal from that project.  Updated September 19, 2014
• Congress Divided Over Future of U.S. ITER Contributions (APS News Aug/Sep-2014): 
Mixed messages from the two U.S. houses of congress means uncertainty for the future of contributions to the ITER fusion project. Updated September 19, 2014
• Iterative processes (The Economist Sep 20, 2014): A big nuclear-fusion project attempts to move from design to construction. ITER's core philosophy is to share between countries the risks, efforts and rewards of trying to crack the fusion-power problem - costs and delays be damned. The idea is that if the project proves successful, any of the domestic agencies involved should then be able to build its own version with the knowledge collaboratively gained. What looks good according to the equations is thus not always - or even often - what works best in reality. But if ITER wants even the chance to test the science, it will first have to solve, in a comprehensive fashion, its human problems. Updated September 19, 2014
  
• CERN: 60 Years of Collaboration
 (APS News Aug/Sep 2014): For 60 years, laboratories around the world have looked to CERN as a role model for big international science collaborations.  Discusses differences between the successful CERN organizational structure and the troubled ITER organizational structure.  Updated September 19, 2014
  
  
• FESAC will meet September 22-23, 2014 at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian hotel to review the draft Report of the FESAC Strategy Panel.  The agenda for  the meeting is now available.  Updated September 12, 2014
• Wendelstein 7-X Newsletter August 2014 - W 7-X group provides status report on preparation for first operation, and updated plans for the initial operating period.  September 12, 2014
• Innovation: myths and prospects (Science-T Consoli) - Review of  "The Entrepreneurial State" by Mariana Mazzucato. The central argument of The Entrepreneurial State is that most of the radical technologies that define our contemporary lifestyle owe their genesis to audacious risk taking on the part of the State. The question that looms large throughout these chapters and in the debate that followed its publication is this: if the State-Prometheus has been capable of creating a grand vision and of pursuing it, why is this no longer happening? Has society given up on grand visions, or has the Leviathan rhetoric managed to suppress that desire? August 25, 2014
• ARPA-E has recently posted a new Teaming List Announcement for fusion related research, entitled "Accelerating Low-cost Plasma Heating and Assembly (ALPHA)."  August 14, 2014
• Why the world and the U.S., in particular, need to accelerate the development of fusion as an acceptable long range energy source. China's Plan to Clean Up Air in Cities Will Doom the Climate (InsideClimate News). China's Great Coal Migration (Fortune-International, August 1, 2014): The country's economic growth has long been fed by coal, but its eastern cities are choking on the smog. Now the government thinks it has a solution: Move the power plants inland.  August 1, 2014
• Geopolitics disrupt scientific exchange with Russia (ScienceInsider, E. Kintisch, August 1, 2014): Tensions with Russia over the unrest in Ukraine are inflicting collateral damage on science.  ScienceInsider has learned that several U.S. scientists have pulled out of upcoming conferences in Russia. The Department of Energy has prohibited travel by DOE employees and contractors to the upcoming IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia-see July 22, 2014 post below.  August 1, 2014
• Five-year delay would spell end of ITER  (Nature Q&A E. Gibney):  Osamu Motojima, head of the international fusion project, speaks out on delays, leaks and rumours (archive copy-pdf) July 31, 2014
  
• Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2015 Energy and Water Development Subcommittee the draft subcommittee report.  In the draft subcommittee report: .."The Committee recommends $341,000,000, a decrease of $75,000,000 below the request, for Fusion Energy Sciences."  In addition.."the Committee directs the Department of Energy to work with the Department of State to withdraw from the ITER project. The Committee recommends $75,000,000 for ITER, which includes $50,000,000 to complete existing contracts for the manufacture of ITER components and $25,000,000 for the U.S. ITER Office in Oak Ridge to terminate U.S. involvement in ITER.  Withdrawing from ITER requires new prioritization and strategic planning for the fusion program. The Committee directs the Office of Science within 90 days of enactment to convene an independent group of experts that can provide short term guidance on funding priorities for fusion in fiscal year 2016 and within 240 days of enactment submit a new strategic plan to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for fusion without U.S. involvement in ITER..  Within the funds for Fusion Energy Sciences, the Committee recommends $17,315,000 for High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas, .." July 24, 2014
• U. S. participation in the 2014 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia has been reduced. The Department of Energy has reviewed the requests to attend the meeting and has decided the following:  July 22, 2014
• Travel for ALL DOE and DOE Laboratory employees is disapproved.
• Travel for researchers supported by grants and cooperative agreements is approved.
• There are no restrictions on people traveling on their own funds.
• U.S. members of the IO are permitted to travel on IO funds.
• No travel alerts or travel restrictions have been issued by the U. S. State Department for travel to the Russian Federation.
  
• Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman plans to leave DOE this fall, according to the announcement made earlier this week by Secretary Ernest Moniz. July 16, 2014
• White House/OMB Threatens a Presidential Veto of the FY15 House Energy and Water Development Bill HR 4923 - The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 4923, making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes. The bill significantly underfunds critical investments that develop American energy sources to build a clean and secure energy future, support the emerging clean energy technologies that create high-quality jobs, and enhance the Nation's economic competiveness. ...... Office of Science - The Administration urges the Congress to fully fund the FY 2015 Budget request for the Office of Science. .... The bill funds the international fusion project ITER, at a level $75 million above the FY 2015 Budget request. In light of schedule delays and management reforms underway, the Administration is concerned that the U.S. contributions would outpace the readiness of the project. July 11, 2014
• The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing July 11, 2014 on "Fusion Energy: The World's Most Complex Energy Project." A video of the heating and opening statements are available.Witnesses include Frank Rusco, director for Natural Resources and Environment at the Government Accountability Office; Pat Dehmer, deputy director for Science Programs at the Department of Energy; Robert Iotti, council chair for the ITER (originally an acronym for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor); and Ned Sauthoff, director of the U.S. ITER Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.    July 11, 2014
• House Passes Holt/Foster Amendment to Restore National Undergraduate Fellowship Program -  Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed an amendment, proposed by Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Bill Foster (IL-11), to restore the National Undergraduate Fellowship Program (NUF) at the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for 2015 was adopted by voice vote. July 10, 2014
  
• FESAC Panel Charged with developing a 10 Year Strategic Plan for the U. S. Fusion Program will hold a second public meeting on July 8-9, 2014 at the Washingtonian Marriott in Gaithersburg, MD
• Final Agenda includes 47 presentations from the US and International Fusion Program.  Several of the presentations are available below.  Updated July 29, 2014
• Remote Participation in real time is possible
  
• ASDEX Upgrade - Capabilities and Plans: H.Zohm, IPP Garching 
• JET Forward Programme and Opportunities for Collaboration: L. Horton, JET CCFE 
• EAST Current Status and Future Plans: H.Guo, GA (for J. Li, ASIPP)
  
• KSTAR and US collaboration: J.G. Kwak, KSTAR, NFRI
  
• The JT-60SA Research Regimes for ITER and DEMO: Y. Kamada, JAEA 
• European Road Map: X. Litaudon, EUROfusion
  
• West Project and Opportunities for US-DOE Collaborations: X. Litaudon, EUROfusion (for WEST Team) 
• NSTX Upgrade: ST research to accelerate fusion development: J. Menard, PPPL
  
• LTX - Exploring the advantages of liquid lithium walls: R. Majeski, PPPL
  
• Initiatives in Non-Solenoidal Startup and Edge Stability Dynamics at Near-Unity Aspect Ratio: R. Fonck, U.W.
  
• Successful Completion of Alcator C-Mod and Transition to a New, Advanced Divertor Facility: E. Marmar et. al., MIT PSFC
  
• DIII-D 10-Year Vision: Developing the Scientific Basis for the Burning Plasma Era and Fusion Energy Development: M.Wade et. al., GA
  
• The case for QUASAR (NCSX): J. Freidberg, MIT PSFC
• Implications and Lessons from the 2007 Strategic Planning Activity and Subsequent Events M. Greenwald, MIT PSFC
  
• U.S. Fusion Road Map Study: D. Meade and Road Map Working Group
  
• Critical Need for Disruption Prediction, Avoidance, and Mitigation in Tokamaks - S. Sabbagh et. al., Columbia, ORNL, GA, PPPL, MIT, UCSD, U.Wash
  
• A Strategy for Resolving the Problems of Plasma-Material Interaction for FNSF: R. Goldston, PPPL
  
• Advanced Computing Initiative to Study Methods of Improving Fusion - G. Hammett, PPPL
  
• A Materials Facilities Initiative - FMITS & MPEX - D. Hillis et. al., ORNL
  
• A Liquid Metal PMI/PFC Initiative - R. Maingi et. al.  PPPL
  
• Liquid Metal Plasma-Material Interaction Science and Component Development - M. Jaworski, PPPL et. al.
  
• The PPPL Perspective on Ten Year Planning - S. Prager, PPPL  Posted July 29, 2014
• House Appropriations Committee Approves Energy and Water Development budget markup for FY15 -  The recommendations for magnetic and inertial fusion are the same as those in House Subcommittee markup on June 17, 2014.  Updated June 20, 2014
  
• The 14th ITER Council has concluded a two day meeting at ITER headquarters in Cadarache, France.  Major topics on the agenda included review and approval of the Corrective Action Plan to address the concerns raised in the recent Management Assessment Report, and progress on establishing a Cost and Schedule baseline. No detailed information has been made available regarding the status of the ITER Corrective Action Plan.   June 19, 2014
• Senate Energy and Water Subcommittee has marked up the FY15 Funding for fusion (video of webcast) -  Senator Lamar Alexander made the following remarks regarding ITER  - "These appropriations are about oversight, and that means setting priorities and eliminating funding. Each year Sen. Feinstein and I have managed this bill, we've eliminated programs. One example this year is the international fusion energy project which we call ITER. It hasn't shown the progress it should. An audit by distinguished scientists told us that. We've withdrawn funding for the program. That saves taxpayers 75 million this year, and at least 3.9 billion, and potentially 6.5 billion over the life of the project. That's money we've saved by appropriations oversight." June 17, 2014
• Senate panel orders US withdrawal from ITER (Physics Today, D. Kramer) (archive copy-pdf)- Senate appropriators approved a bill last week that would order the US to withdraw from ITER, the international effort to build a fusion test reactor in France. The move sets up a confrontation with House counterparts, who added $75 million to the Obama administration's $150 million request for the project in fiscal year 2015. Posted June 26, 2014
• House Appropriation Energy and Water Subcommittee marks up FY 15 funding for Fusion - The Committee recommends $540,000,000 in FY15 for Fusion Energy Sciences, $34,323,000 above fiscal year 2014 and $124,000,000 above the budget request. The Committee recommends $315,000,000 for the domestic fusion program, $9,323,000 above fiscal year 2014 and $49,000,000 above the budget request. The Committee also recommends $225,000,000 for the U.S. contribution to the ITER project, $25,000,000 above fiscal year 2014 and $75,000,000 above the budget request. June 17, 2014
• FESAC will hold a teleconference meeting starting at 12:00pm EDT on June 16, to receive and discuss the Draft Panel Report on Assessment of (Fusion Energy Sciences) Workforce Development Needs.  Instructions for participating remotely are included in the agenda.
  
• Agenda and Opening Presentation by FESAC Chair- M. Koepke  Updated June 16, 2014
• FESAC Workforce Development Needs (WDN) Panel Report (Final) - Posted June 23, 2014
• Presentation of FESAC Workforce Development Needs (WDN) Panel  Report - H. Ji Panel Chair Posted June 21, 2014
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development has marked up the draft FY15 E&W bill.  The opening statement by Chairman Simpson noted that: Funding for Basic Science Research is held level at last year's level - $5.071 billion. Within this, funding for fusion energy is increased, restoring the domestic program to $315 million. The recommendation also maximizes run time at user facilities.  The draft bill also includes the statement-"That no funding may be made available for U.S. cash contributions to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project until its governing Council implements the recommendations of the Third Biennial International Organization Management Assessment Report: Provided further, That the Secretary of Energy may waive this requirement upon submission to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate a determination that the Council is making satisfactory progress towards implementation of such recommendations." The report language with the fusion budget details should be available later this week. Updated  June 11, 2014
• The North American Energy Summit will assemble public and private stakeholders to discuss a strategy for harnessing the continent's energy resources to spur economic growth, enhance national security and regional competitiveness, and promote responsible development of these resources.  This Energy Summit, sponsored by Goldman Sachs, is a view on how the real decisions on energy research and investment are made.  June 10, 2014
• Turmoil at ITER continues - ITER Council chair says a new director general, a halving of senior management, and improved relations between headquarters and the project's seven partners are on the way.  The ITER Council will meet June 18-19, 2014 at ITER Headquarters in Cadarache FR to discuss implementation of the major management reforms recommended by the ITER Management Assessment Report.  June 8, 2014
• GAO Report on Actions Needed to Finalize Cost and Schedule Estimates for U.S. Contributions to an International Experimental Reactor, additional information is available on the GAO web site.   June 5, 2014
• Cost of U.S. Share of ITER Still Uncertain, Federal Auditors Stress (ScienceInsider - A. Cho)(pdf archive copy) - For backers of the troubled international fusion experiment, ITER, under construction in Cadarache, France, a new audit of the United States' part of the project brings more troubling news. June 9, 2014
• FESAC Strategy Panel will meet June 3-5, 2014 Revised at the Marriott Washingtonian, Gaithersburg, MD.  One page abstracts of presentations are being posted.   Some of the presentations are available here or on the US-BPO website. These talks describe work in progress and should not be quoted without permission from the authors. June 4, 2014
• Perspectives on 10-Year Planning for the Fusion Energy Sciences Program - R. Fonck et al
  
• Critical FNS Activities Required Over the Next Decade to Establish the Scientific Basis for a FNSF - C. Kessel et.al.
  
• Scientific Framework for Advancing Blanket/FW/Tritium Fuel Cycle Systems towards FNSF & DEMO Readiness - M. Abdou/N. Morley et. al.
  
• An Integrated, Component-level Approach to Fusion Materials Development - L. Snead/B.Wirth et. al
  
• Develop the Basis for Plasma Material Interface (PMI) Solutions for FNSF - D. Hill
  
• U.S. strategies for an innovative stellarator-based FNSF - M. Zarnstorff
• Establishing the Physics Basis for Sustaining a High β Burning Plasma in Steady-State - R. Buttery  posted June 14, 2014
  
• Prospects and alternatives for development of the US stellarator program - J. Harris et. al.
  
• 3D theory & computation as a major driver for advances in stellarators - M. Landreman et. al.
  
• Major Opportunities in Plasma Astrophysics - H. Ji for Workshop for Opportunities in Plasma Astrophysics Team posted June 21, 2014
• Long Pulse Physics via International Stellarator Collaboration - G. Wurden et.al
  
• Development of 3-D Divertor Solutions for Stellarators through Coordinated Domestic and International Research - O. Schmitz et. al posted July 14, 2014
• Opportunities and Context for Reversed Field Pinch Research - J. Sarff et. al. posted June 16, 2014
• Multi-University Research to Advance Discovery Fusion Energy Science using a Superconducting Laboratory Magnetosphere - M. Mauel
  
• Importance of Intermediate-scale Experiments in Discovery Plasma Science - H. Ji et. al. posted June 21, 2014
• Exploiting high magnetic fields from new superconductors will provide a faster and more attractive fusion development path - D. Whyte
  
• Superconducting Magnets Research for a Viable US Fusion Program(slides) and White Paper - J. Minervini and M. Porkolab
  
• RF Actuators for Steady-State Tokamak Development -  R. Parker
• A nationally organized, advanced divertor tokamak test facility is needed to demonstrate plasma exhaust and PMI solutions for FNSF/DEMO - B.  LaBombard
  
• Perspectives on the TFTR DT Experiments, PPPL Experimental Seminar, May 23, 2014 Updated May 27, 2014
• Video of the Seminar  Download slides first to read during video New,  May 29, 2014 
  
• TFTR Time Line - Dale Meade  Open "TFTR_Time_Line_Meade_2014.pptx", go full screen, and click on links, keep all files in same folder.
  
• Preparing for DT on TFTR - Richard Hawryluk
• The First DT Experiments in TFTR: Planning and Operational Perspectives - Michael Bell
• Audio file of shot 76778, Fusion power = 9.3 MW for PNB = 29.2 MW, Fusion energy/pulse = 6. 5 MJ ending with an impressive disruption.
  
• Implications of TFTR DT Experiments - Richard Hawryluk
• ITER Director General Motojima urges all the Members to make every effort in convening the Fourteenth Meeting of the ITER Council, which will be held June 18-19, 2014 at ITER Headquarters in Cadarache, France.  May 19, 2014
• 2014 FESAC Strategic Planning (SP) Panel (Panel website with instructions for submission of information to the panel) May 26, 2014
• Charge for Strategic Planning Panel : P. Dehmer, Acting Director Office of Science
  
• Discussion of the Charge on a Ten Year Strategic Plan for the FES Program: - E. Synakowski, Assoc Director, Fusion Energy Sciences
• Motivation and Process: - M. Koepke FESAC and Strategy Panel Chair April 28, 2014
• Guidance for Preparation of White Papers for FESAC Strategy Panel -M. Koepke, Strategy Panel Chair - Updated May 17, 2014
  
• Guidance for Preparation of Presentations to FESAC Strategy Panel - M. Koepke, Strategy Panel Chair - Updated May 17, 2014
• Presentation Schedule - M. Koepke, Strategy Panel Chair - Updated May 27, 2014
• Membership:  - This is the final membership list.  M. Koepke,  FESAC and Strategy Panel Chair  Updated May 17, 2014
• Livermore ends LIFE, (Physics Today, D. Kramer) - (pdf, archive copy)  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has quietly shelved a program that was developing a design for a plant that generates electricity from laser fusion. "The focus of our inertial confinement fusion efforts is on understanding ignition on NIF rather than on the LIFE concept," LLNL acting director Bret Knapp said in a statement. April 25, 2014
• Energy Secretary Moniz Appears Before House and Senate Appropriators- (FYI-AIP)- Secretary Moniz and Deputy Poneman respond to questions from House (April 2, 2014) and Senate (April 9, 2014)  about DOE construction projects including ITER.  April 23, 2014
• U.S. Support for ITER Wavers as Costs Spiral (Science, A.Cho, 4/18/2014) - Soaring costs are jeopardizing the U.S. contribution to the international fusion energy project, ITER. Last week, a key member of Congress reacted with alarm to new projections showing that the U.S. share of the cost for the massive machine could reach $3.9 billion--roughly four times the original estimate made in 2006. April 18, 2014
• Fusion Power: The Answer to an Uncertain Energy Future - A Discussion with Dan Clery (Science) - On Tuesday, April 15th, the American Security Project hosted a discussion about fusion power with Dan Clery, moderated by Andrew Holland, ASP's Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate. Posted April 17, 2014
• Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of climate change: The Working Group III contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (WGIII AR5) provides a comprehensive assessment of all relevant options for mitigating climate change through limiting or preventing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as activities that remove them from the atmosphere.  The report is massive (2,000 pages), here is a small piece Slides summarizing IPCC WGIII AR5.   Posted April 16, 2014
• Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing focuses on ITER - Senator Feinstein questions Deputy Secretary Poneman about DOE's plans to address concerns of ITER cost increases and response to assessment of ITER Management.   Posted April 14, 2014
• Dr Robert Iotti named Chair of the ITER Council - although no official public announcement has been made by the ITER Project, Robert Iotti of CH2M HILL has assumed the responsibilities as Chair of the ITER Council as of January 1, 2014.  Dr. Robert Iotti has had an extensive career in the nuclear industry, primarily in engineering and construction, project management and liability management. Iotti was president of CH2M HILL's nuclear division and has overseen major nuclear activities, including well-known and successful clean-up projects at Rocky Flats, Colo., and Mound, Ohio, and projects involving ongoing Department of Energy operations. Iotti's involvement with fusion energy dates back to the early '80s with his key contributions to the successful design and construction of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR ), then with the design of the TPX at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory until TPX was canceled (TPX eventually became South Korea's KSTAR). In the early '90s, he was seconded to the Department of Energy to help manage the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, at that time a joint effort of the European Union, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. to develop fusion power. The U.S. left ITER for a period of years, but rejoined when the project was restarted in 2003. Iotti was subsequently asked to serve as the first chairman of the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) to the ITER Council, a position that is rotated every two years among the present seven parties participating in the effort.  He served on the MAC until his appointment as Chair of the ITER Council. April 11, 2014
• Cost Skyrockets for United States' Share of ITER Fusion Project (ScienceInsider April 10, 2014 -A. Cho) (pdf-archive copy)- The United States is only a minor partner in the project, which began construction in 2008. But the U.S. contribution to ITER will total $3.9 billion - roughly four times as much as originally estimated - according to a new cost estimate released yesterday. That is about $1.4 billion higher than a 2011 cost estimate, and the numbers are likely to intensify doubts among some members of Congress about continuing the U.S. involvement in the project.  (reference: ITER Project Status )  April 11, 2014
• The Pursuit of Fusion Energy - D. Meade (FIRE) - Colloquium at Columbia University April 11, 2014
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) met on April 9, 10 2014 at the Rockville Hilton, Rockville, MD- agenda   April 11, 2014
• DOE/SC Perspectives including the FY2015 Congressional Budget Request - P. Dehmer, Acting Director, Office of Science
  
• DOE/FES Perspectives including the FY2015 Congressional Budget Request  - E. Synakowski, Assoc Director, Fusion Energy Sciences
• ITER Project Status - N. Sauthoff, Director US ITER Project Office
• Charge on a Ten-Year Strategic Plan for the FES Program.
• Discussion of the Charge on a Ten Year Strategic Plan for the FES Program - E. Synakowski, Assoc Director, Fusion Energy Sciences
  
• Charge on Committee of Visitors (COV) Review of FES office
• Discussion of COV Charge- J. Van Dam, Fusion Energy Sciences
• DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research - S. Binkley, Associate Director Advanced Computing
  
• Charge on FES Workforce Needs 
• Public Comments
• Comments on Process for Gathering Input for the 10 Year Strategic Plan - Dave Hill, LLNL posted April 28, 2014
• House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Video Copy (March 25, 2014, Rm 2362-B Rayburn Bldg) on FY15 Budget proposal for Office of Science, P. Dehmer witness. Prepared Statement by P Dehmer, and  Transcript of Exchange between Congressman Fortenberry (R, NE) and P. Dehmer on ITER.   March 26, 2014
• The Challenge: How to Keep Fusion Going Long Enough (New York Times, Science, K Chang) - describes recent progress on the National Ignition Facility (NIF)  and the challenges of achieving and sustaining fusion reactions in inertial fusion and magnetic fusion.  March 17, 2014
• President's Proposed FY 2015 Budget Released -Details of Office of Science Budget were released on March 14. 2014. The proposed Fusion Energy Sciences budget for FY 2015 is $416M compared to an estimated $505M in FY2014, and an actual budget of $378M in FY 2013.  The proposed budget for Inertial confinement fusion ignition and high yield campaign for FY 2015 in the DOE Highlights Summary is  $513M,  compared to an estimated $514M in FY 2014 and an actual budget of $457M in FY 2013. 
  
• DOE_FY 2015 Fusion Energy Sciences Detailed Budget Justification  ITER MIE budget for FY15 is proposed at $150M. March 14, 2014
• FY 2015 Magnetic Fusion Budget Details Roll Out- AD for FES-by Synakowski March 19, 2014
• DOE FY2015 Budget Highlights (added 3/5/2014)
  
• DOE FY 2015 Budget Rollout Presentation by Secretary Moniz 
  
• DOE Office of Science 2015 Budget Rollout Presentation by P. Dehmer
• DOE FY 2015 Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign     added March 29, 2014
  
• How to fix ITER  (The New Yorker , Raffi Khatchadourian) -There is no easy way to repair the dysfunctions of a complex international bureaucracy that spans multiple continents, has few clear lines of authority, and must oversee the construction of the largest experimental nuclear device in history - the massive machine being built in the South of France called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER. Last summer, William Madia, a respected nuclear chemist and academician, and two other specialists, Charles Shank and T. J. Glauthier, set out to understand ITER's failings and to figure out how they could be corrected. "Achieving the desired outcome will not be simple," they noted in the 2013 ITER Management Assessment . "There is no 'silver bullet.' " updated April 10, 2014
• New Review Slams Fusion Project's Management - (ScienceInsider D, Clery) - ITER, the international fusion reactor project in France, is reeling from an assessment that found serious problems with the project's leadership, management, and governance.  The report is so damning, Science has learned, that after a 13 February special session that reviewed and accepted the report's conclusions and recommendations, the ITER Council- the project's governing body - restricted its readership to a small number of senior managers and council members.(pdf archive copy) February 25, 2014
• A Star in a Bottle (The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian) - An audacious plan to create a new energy source could save the planet from catastrophe. But time is running out.  February 24, 2014
• The ITER Council, the governing body of the ITER Project, met February 13, 2014  in an extraordinary session to respond to the recommendations of the third biennial management assessment required by the ITER Agreement. After discussion at the meeting, the Council unanimously approved implementation of management reforms in response to all of the recommendations. Unfortunately, no details on the Management Assessment or the management reforms have been made available. February 17, 2014
• LLNL Announces the Creation of a New Fusion Milestone for NIF - A recent article in Nature, described the creation of a new milestone - fuel gain of unity - producing as much fusion energy as that deposited in the fusion fuel.  Experiments on the $5B NIF facility succeeded in injecting 1.8 million joules into a fusion target that delivered an estimated 0.009 million joules to the fusion fuel that produced 0.017 million joules of fusion energy.  This is a factor of 100 less than the amount of fusion energy needed to satisfy the official project milestone for NIF, fusion gain of unity, producing as much fusion energy as the laser energy delivered to the target (i.e., energy needed to heat the fusion fuel).  These experiments also showed indications that the fusion products were providing self-heating, a process that will be essential to achieve the remaining NIF project milestones. NIF results are compared with Fusion Plasma Performance Required for Fusion Power  February 17, 2014
• Giant Laser Complex Makes Fusion Advance Finally - K. Chang and W. J. Broad, NYT - February 12, 2014
• A Promising Advance in Nuclear Fusion - M. Herrmann, Nature News and Views - February 12, 2014
• Baby Steps on the Road to Fusion Energy -  D. Clery, Science -  February 12, 2014
  
• Fusion energy milestone reported by California scientists - Washington Post - February 12, 2014
• Viewpoint: Encouraging Signs on the Path to Fusion - S. J. Rose, APS Viewpoint - February 12, 2014
• Laser fusion experiment extracts net energy from fuel - Nature News - February 12, 2014
• Laser Fusion Project Takes One Small Step Toward Energy Leap -  NBC News - February 12, 2014
• US taking a hard look at its involvement in ITER - (Physics Today, Feb-2-14, Kramer, pdf archive copy): A Department of Energy internal review committee has concluded that the US share of ITER, the international project to build a fusion test reactor in Cadarache, France, could cost as much as $6.5 billion - $2.6 billion more than is estimated by DOE's ITER project office. At the insistence of congressional appropriators who requested the figures, the Obama administration is now reviewing ongoing US participation in ITER. A possible shift in policy would be included in the department's fiscal year 2015 budget request which is expected to be released on March 4, 2014. February 3, 2014
• NIF closes in on alpha heating milestone - NIF continues to make progress improving fusion performance.  A fusion yield on 9.3x10^15 neutrons (26 kilojoules) was achieved in a recent DT experiment on NIF.   Important remaining milestones for NIF  are: 1) Alpha heating defined as producing >10^16 neutrons, and 2) fusion ignition defined as fusion energy produced greater than laser energy incident on target.  More details as they are available. January 22, 2014
• House and Senate Appropriation Committees releases FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Bill- Within Energy and Water, the bill includes $5.1 billion for science research, an increase of $195 million (4%) above the fiscal year 2013 enacted level. This funding will help strengthen innovation and advance future American competitiveness by supporting basic energy research, development of high-performance computing systems, and research into the next generation of clean energy sources. The Bill explicitly states:  Provided further, That not more than $22,790,000 may be made available for U.S. cash contributions to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project until its governing Council adopts the recommendations of the Third Biennial International Organization Management Assessment Report: Provided further, That the Secretary of Energy may waive this requirement upon submission to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate a determination that the Council is making satisfactory progress towards adoption of such recommendations.    In the accompanying Report language:  Within this amount, the bill restores many of the cuts to the fusion energy program that the President had proposed.  The bill provides $305,677,000 for the domestic fusion program including: $62,550,000 for NSTX, $75,160,000 for DIII-D, and $22,260,000 for operations and research at Alcator C-Mod. The bill also provides $200,000,000 for US contributions to the ITER Project.   Updated January 16, 2014
• Congressional Budget deal is a "Step in the Right Direction for Fusion" -(BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.) , American Securities Project, CEO) - Fusion energy will be a critical source of next generation energy that would provide secure, safe and sustainable energy for the U.S. This budget is a step in the right direction for fusion because it provides funding for all 3 experimental magnetic fusion reactors (tokamaks) in the U.S. as well as the U.S. contribution to the international ITER project. ASP believes that investing in research into fusion energy is a critical test of how Congress is planning for the long term. January 16, 2014
• Europe Focuses Fusion Research on Building a Working Power Reactor (Science, Dan Clery) As the new year dawned, nuclear fusion researchers in the European Union woke to an entirely new funding system aimed at sharpening their focus on generating energy. (archive copy-pdf) January 10, 2014
• Fusion Energy: Visions of the Future - The talks presented at the 34th Annual Fusion Power Associates meeting have been posted.  January 2, 2014
• Fusion Power -- it is real, possible and important, and it's time to get serious - On Tuesday, December 10, 2013 the American Security Project hosted the first day of the 34th Annual Fusion Power Associates Conference. Entitled "Fusion Energy: Visions for the Future," the conference featured participation from some of the world's top fusion scientists.  Updated December 19, 2013
• 2nd IAEA DEMO Programme Workshop (DPW-2) was held at the IAEA in Vienna, Austria December 17-20, 2013. December 25, 2013
  
• Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the tritium shot heard around the world - (PPPL Weekly)- Twenty years ago  TFTR began the first magnetic fusion experiments using fusion fuel - equal amounts of deuterium and tritium.  The first experiments produced a peak fusion power of 6.3 MW with 3.6 MJ produced during one pulse.   TFTR went on to run another 3 1/2 years producing a number of firsts, performance records and new deep scientific insights into fusion plasma behavior.  December 9, 2013
• Horizon 2020 approval by (European) Parliament a boost for European research and innovation - The European Parliament has approved a new spending program for nuclear energy research, as part of the €78.6 billion ($106.3 billion) Horizon 2020 Framework research and innovation program.  Of that budget, €728 million will be set aside for nuclear fusion research (2014-2017), and €315 million for fission (2014-2017).  The parliament also approved a separate funding program to support the ITER fusion reactor project, which will have an additional €2.915 billion (current value)  set aside for 2014-2020. The European fusion programme as envisioned in the European Roadmap to the Realization of Fusion Energy is fully supported (and funded) by all EU Member States with ITER on the critical path of the EU road map to electricity from fusion energy. The next step in the EU budget process is action by the Council of the EU Ministers on December 3, 2013. November 26, 2013
• ITER Council Takes Important Management and Technical Decisions:  Convening for its thirteenth meeting in St Paul-lez-Durance, France, the ITER Council noted that ITER construction and assembly are progressing but that the Project is entering a phase of unprecedented technical complexity and challenges. The Council received the results of the biennial Management Assessment; the ITER Council and the ITER Organization, together with the seven Domestic Agencies as a Unique ITER team, will now formulate and execute a plan of actions to improve overall Project performance in accordance with the Assessment’s recommendations. The ITER Council also approved two important technical proposals that will have a positive impact on the performance of the ITER Tokamak.(Press Release) November 21, 2013
• President Obama to nominate Franklin Orr, director of the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University, to the newly expanded position of DOE under secretary for science and energy. Obama also said he will nominate Marc Kastner, dean of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) school of science, as Director of DOE’s Office of Science. November 15, 2013
• University Fusion Associates annual meeting at the APS-Division of Plasma Physics. Updated November 23, 2013
• Update on the Fusion Energy Sciences Program, Ed Synakowski, FES, DOE
  
• Framework for a Road Map to Magnetic Fusion Energy, Status Report, Dale Meade, FIRE
• Building Consensus in the Formation of Science Strategy: Reflections on the U.S. Fusion Science Program, Mike Mauel, Columbia University
  
• The significance of the latest NIF results (Letter to Physics Today, R. L. McCrory  and R. Betti):  If you were hoping for the thermonuclear fusion breakthrough that would provide cheap electricity to every home this is not the one. However, the recent results from the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are a very important and notable step forward in fusion research. November 8, 2013
• Acting Director of the Office of Science, Patricia Dehmer testified at the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy hearing (statement)on Providing the Tools for Scientific Discovery and Basic Energy Research: The Department of Energy Science Mission.  The webcast of the hearing is available.  October 30, 2013
• Hot News: Fusion Researchers Recommend ITER Design Tweaks - (ScienceInsider - Dan Clery) - Scientific advisers to the ITER fusion reactor project have recommended several key changes to its design that could increase technical risks—but also smooth the path to producing excess energy. The recommendations, made last week by ITER’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC), will have to be approved by the full ITER council in November. But if approved, as expected, “the chance of surprises later is reduced,” says Alberto Loarte, head of ITER’s confinement and modeling section. “The risk will pay off.” October 27, 2013
• ITER keeps eye on prize - (Nature News - Declan Butler) - Delays in the installation of key parts of ITER, a multibillion-euro international nuclear-fusion experiment, are forcing scientists to change ITER’s research programme to focus exclusively on the key goal of generating power by 2028. As a result, much research considered non-essential to the target, including some basic physics and studies of plasmas aimed at better understanding industrial-scale fusion, will be postponed. October 27, 2013
• ITER is in the midst of a series of citical meetings: ITER Council Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) - October 16-17, ITER Council Management Advisory Committee (MAC) - October 23-24, and the Thirteenth ITER Council - November 20-21, 2013, that will address technical, cost and schedule issues.
• STAC gives green light for technical changes - STAC recommends that the ITER divertor will be equipped with tungsten (W) targets right from the start of operations, and two in-vessel coil systems (the ELM control and the vertical stability coils), will be in the ITER Baseline. These changes now need to be approved by the ITER Council on November 20-21. October 27, 2013
• Results of the MAC meeting (Oct 23-24) will be posted when they are made available.
• The NIF Breakthrough That Wasn’t - (Science-News of the Week) October 25, 2013
• Livermore Weapons Laboratory Loses Leader - (ScienceInsider, Dan Clery)- In an unexpected move, Penrose “Parney” Albright has announced that he will stand down as the director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California at the end of this month. October 25, 2013
• The government shutdown may be officially over, but the disruptive turmoil continues for fusion research programs as Lab Directors struggle to get information and confirmation of FY2014 funding levels. October 18, 2013
• Fusion "Breakthrough" at NIF? Uh, Not Really (ScienceInsider, Dan Clery) (archive_copy) - Science reporting breakdown? Press reports of a breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility, a powerful U.S. laser system, turned out to be a bit of hype.  One unintended effect of the U.S. federal shutdown is that helpful press officers at government labs are not available to provide a reality check to some of the wilder stories that can catch fire on the Internet. October 11, 2013
• NIF continues to make steady progress by increasing the  Fusion Gain = Fusion Energy Produced /Laser Energy Incident to 0.0077 with the production of 0.014 megajoules of fusion energy driven indirectly by 1.82 megajoules of incident laser energy.   This exceeds the Gain achieved by NOVA using indirect drive in 1986 by a factor of nearly 4, and almost matches the Gain of 0.01 achieved by Omega using direct laser drive in 1996.  The primary NNSA ignition milestone for NIF remains to achieve a Gain = Fusion Energy /Laser Energy Incident ≈ 1.  This is the same requirement as traditional definition of Scientific Breakeven  used by the international fusion community for the past 40 years.  Updated October 11, 2013
• National laboratories prepare to shut down (Nature NewsBlog):  With no end in sight for the US government shutdown that began on 1 October, the Department of Energy (DOE) is now preparing to shut down the sprawling complex of national laboratories that maintains nuclear weapons and performs a range of basic and applied research. October 10, 2013
• The 2nd Meeting of ITER partner Ministerial level representatives was held at ITER Headquaters on September 6, 2013 at the request of  Günther H. Oettinger, European Commissioner in charge of Energy and representative of the European Atomic Energy Community.  The topics of discussion included: developing solutions for cost over runs, schedule delays and organizational issues.
• Ministers Reaffirm the Importance of ITER for the World's Future Energy Needs - ITER International Organization Press Release ( Archive file pdf)  September 6, 2013  
• Oettinger aims to get ITER back on track - European Voice - Günther Oettinger, European commissioner for energy, has summoned representatives of the seven countries investing in the ITER nuclear-fusion project for a meeting on Friday (6 September) to discuss the project's continuing financing and its organisational woes.(Archive file pdf)  September 5, 2013
• ITER: a fusion reactor with a future (French) - Figaro (Partial English Translation)  September 6, 2013  
  
• A DOE Office of Science review of the US ITER Project was carried out August 27-29. One of the objectives was to review the estimates of cost and schedule to complete the US ITER tasks through completion of the construction project signified by First Plasma.  The budget profiles were to be limited to ≤ $225 M per year.  The results of the review will be posted as soon as they are available. September 3, 2013
• Representatives at ministerial level of the seven ITER Members will convene at the ITER Headquarters on 6 September 2013 to review the main progress accomplished thus far on ITER.  August 3, 2013
  
• New members and Chair for Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee have been appointed.  Professor Mark Koepke of West Virginia University is the new chair. July 17, 2013
• The final National Research Council reports on inertial fusion energy have been published the National Academies Press (NAP). Both reports are available as free downloadable PDFs through the National Academies Press website.  The Committee Report  is "An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy", and the Panel Report is "Assessment of Inertial Confinement Fusion Targets" .July 16, 2013
• Cost increases at fusion project going critical (Physics Today July 2013) - The US domestic program braces for budget cut as senators seek schedule for completion and cost of ITER. How much will it cost to build what could well be the first machine to achieve a self- sustaining nuclear fusion reaction? Apparently no one really knows, and that information vacuum hasn’t been sitting well with some influential US lawmakers.  Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s energy and water development subcommittee, said that “ITER has no cost, schedule, or scope baseline, and there is no way to evaluate how much it will cost or its impact on the domestic [fusion research] program and over what time frame. The lack of information is unacceptable. Congress can’t evaluate the cost without a project baseline.” July 9, 2013
• Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee Marks up FY 2014 Budget (pages 92-96 for DOE Office of Science) - The Senate Appropriations Committee recommends $458,324,000 as requested for Fusion Energy Sciences in FY2014. The Committee provides no funding for the Alcator C–Mod fusion reactor at MIT. The Committee also recommends: $14,773,000 for High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas, including Heavy Ion Fusion, $12,000,000 for the Fusion Simulation program to provide experimentally validated predictive simulation capabilities that are critical for ITER and other current and planned toroidal fusion devices. The Committee recommends $183,502,000 for the U.S. contribution to ITER. No funding shall be made available for the U.S. contribution until the Secretary submits to this Committee a baseline cost, schedule, and scope estimate consistent with project management principles in DOE Order 413.3B of the U.S. contribution needed for completing all construction activities. The Committee is concerned by the lack of a strategic vision, which includes research and future facility needs, to advance the domestic fusion energy sciences program. The Committee directs the Secretary to submit a 10-year plan, not later than 12 months after enactment of this act, on the Department’s proposed research and development activities in magnetic fusion.  June 26, 2013
• Next-generation particle accelerator is ready for construction -  A five-volume report containing the blueprint for a future particle physics project, the International Linear Collider (ILC), was published today on 12 June 2013.  Organised by the Global Design Effort (GDE), a team of scientists from around the world, the ILC is an international endeavour that brings together more than 1,000 scientists and engineers from more than 100 universities and laboratories in over two dozen countries.  The construction cost is estimated at $7.8 B (US).  June 26, 2013
• House Energy and Water Subcommittee Draft Report on FY2014 Appropriations - "The Committee recommends $506,076,000 for fusion energy sciences, $104,968,000 above fiscal year 2013 and $47,752,000 above the budget request. This includes $22,260,000 is for operations and research at the Alcator C-Mod Facility at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in fiscal year 2014. The Committee therefore reiterates the importance of the ten-year plan for Fusion Energy Sciences directed in the fiscal year 2012 appropriations conference report; that plan’s timely delivery to Congress; and the inclusion of priorities across domestic and international fusion facilities, projects, and programs.  The Committee strongly encourages the Department to treat the U.S. contribution to ITER as a line-item construction project and directs the Department to submit a project baseline and cost schedule to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act." June 25, 2013
• Markup of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appopriations Bill by Subcommittee - Chairperson Senator Feinstein's opening remarks stated "We provide no funding for a major fusion project known as ITER, until the Department provides this committee a baseline cost, schedule and scope." (21:10-21:23). Additional comments related to fusion research.  The bill will be discussed by the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday June 27, 2013. June 25, 2013
• The ITER project is transitioning to full construction - The 12th meeting of the ITER Council was in in Tokyo, Japan June 19-20, 2013. The Council noted the increasing pace of construction activities at the ITER site in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France and good progress in the manufacturing of Tokamak components and supporting systems, currently underway in all the ITER Members. The Council welcomed improved collaboration between the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies as part of the Unique ITER team, created to improve project execution with a goal to achieving schedule acceleration. The Council approved the appointment of Bill Madia (US) as the 2013 Management Assessor. A special meeting with representation at Ministerial-level will take place on 6 September 2013 at ITER Headquarters in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance.  June 20, 2013
• House Appropriations Committee approves DOE Reprogramming Request for FY-2013 subject to "the stipulation that the Department does not implement shutdown of the Alcator C-Mod Facility at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as proposed in the reprogramming request." As a result DOE has instructed MIT to " keep Alcator C-Mod facility in warm shutdown through FY 2013".  June 19, 2013
• House Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill – The bill includes $4.7 billion for science research – a cut of $223 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level....Within this amount, the bill restores many of the cuts to the fusion energy program that the President had proposed. This basic research will lay the groundwork for more efficient and practical domestic energy solutions to help reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and help promote future growth in American businesses and industries. June 17, 2013
• ITER Program Focus of Senate Appropriations Hearing (FYI-AIP)- For a second year in a row, Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) questioned the merits of the ITER program because of its projected cost and impact on the domestic fusion program and other research supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. June 13, 2013
• US Senate Confirms Ernest Moniz as Secretary of Energy (FYI-AIP) - By a vote of 97-0 on May 16, the Senate confirmed Ernest Moniz to be the new Secretary of Energy. Final Senate floor action on the nomination was delayed by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as a way to draw attention to his dissatisfaction with the construction schedule for a MOX facility at DOE’s Savannah River Site to convert 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium into power plant fuel. May 19, 2013
• Feinstein declines to halt NIF budget cuts - Congressional supporters of the multibillion-dollar National Ignition Facility in Livermore called on Sen. Dianne Feinstein this week to help save the huge laser experiment from $110 million in budget cuts proposed by the Obama administration. In a quick response Thursday, the California Democrat turned them down, saying that it's high time to "reassess" the project's experimental efforts to assure the safety of the nation's nuclear arsenal and create sustainable fusion energy that have proved unsuccessful so far. May 16, 2013
• National Ignition Facility faces an uncertain future - As its budget declines, Lawrence Livermore’s $3.5 billion laser fusion facility is refocusing on experiments in support of nuclear weapons science.  Last fall the two-year campaign at the National Ignition Facility to achieve a self-sustaining fusion reaction fell short. Now NIF stands to lose its academic basic research in high- energy- density physics—one of the three mission areas that were specified for NIF when the massive laser facility was approved for construction in 1996. May 16, 2013
• Senators Seek Investigation of ITER Program (FYI-AIP)- Four key senators have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the cost and schedule for the completion of ITER and the feasibility of delaying or adjusting  U.S. contributions to the fusion reactor.  This request came in the form of a letter sent today to the U.S. Comptroller General. May 3, 2013
• Senators Request GAO Investigation of Costs at Experimental Fusion Reactor (US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) (pdf archive copy) - A bipartisan group of energy policy leaders in the U.S. Senate today sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting an investigation of the cost and feasibility of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and its effect on U.S. fusion programs. May 3, 2013
• Fusion Scientists See Promise Where Obama Shows No Ardor - Bloomberg Markets Magazine- Congress is getting tougher, too. The NNSA has spent about $6 billion to build and run the NIF. Lawmakers were planning to press the NIF in May for measurable goals for reaching ignition, people familiar with the situation say. For now, the ITER is the U.S. government’s preferred path to civilian electricity compared with other fusion choices, says Chris Deeney, the NNSA’s assistant deputy administrator. May 3, 2013
• FY14 DOE Budget Information
• DOE Budget Highlights - 63 pages
  
• DOE Summary-2 pages - Poneman
  
• Office of Science Summary - 2 pages
• Office of Science Overview- 30 slides, W. Brinkman
  
• Office of Science Budget Details 
• Fusion Energy Sciences Overview - 18 slides, Synakowski
  
• Fusion Energy Sciences Budget Details
• Impact of FY14 Budget on Fusion Research - FPA Notice 13-20, Dean
  
• NNSA Budget Details
  
• Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Budget Details
  
• Advanced Simulation and Computing Campaign Budget Details
• The President's proposed FY 2014 Budget is expected to increase funding for Fusion Energy Science Research to $458M, a $50M increase relative to FY 2013.  (ScienceInsider-Cho). Such a boost is desperately needed, researchers say, as the U.S. contributions to the international fusion experiment ITER, under construction in Cadarache, France, threaten to consume much of the United States' domestic fusion research. April 10, 2013
• A Challenge to America: Develop Fusion Power Within a Decade (Forbes Leadership Forum, April 2, 2013) -  Norman R. Augustine and Gary Hart issue challenge for the US to develop fusion energy with an Apollo style program to address US national security needs. April 5, 2013
• The final FESAC Report on Facilities for Fusion Energy Sciences has been sent to the Office of Science.  FESAC also sent a letter to the Office of Science urging the program office to develop a strategic plan as soon as possible, utilizing the advisory committee process and with broad community input. The presentations and webcast of the FESAC meeting are available.   April 3, 2013
• Bill Brinkman, Director of the Office of Science, DOE has announced his resignation to be effective April 12, 2013.   Updated March 19, 2013
• FESAC received a draft report from Subcommittee Fusion Facilities in response to a charge from the DOE Office of Science and the report and a presentation by S/C Chairman John Sarff  is the main topic of discussion at the meetinng.  March 15, 2013
• The High Energy Physics Advisory Panel described a large number of ambitious facility upgrade possibilities during their recent meeting.  March 13, 2013
• The FESAC Meeting March 15, 2013 will be webcast stating at 9:00am EDT.  Agenda revised for FESAC Meeting  at the Bolger Center, Potomac, MD on March 15, 2013 will hear status report from DOE on US Fusion Budget Perspectives and receive a report from the FESAC Subcommittee on Facilities chaired by John Sarff. The status report on ITER technical progress, cost and schedule preformance has been cancelled.   March 13, 2013
• AIP  FYI describes discussion between House Appropriation Subcommittee on Energy and Water and Office of Sceience Director Bill Brinkman.  March 7, 2013
• House Appropriation Subcommittee on Energy and Water heard testimony from Bill Brinkman  impact of sequestration on the Office of Science activitities.  The reductions to specific Office of Science progams has not been finalized. March 6, 2013
• FY 2013 Sequester Plan calls for 5% reduction in the FY 2013 Office of Science budget, if applied uniformly within the Office of Science this implies a ≈$20M cut in the Fusion Energy Sciences Budget. March 5, 2013
• President Obama has announced his intention to nominate Dr Ernie Moniz to be Secretary of Energy.   March 4, 2013
  
• Future U.S. Fusion Research Should Keep Options Open, Report Concludes: (ScienceInsider-Clery) -The United States should embark on a coordinated national research program into inertial confinement fusion—but only after researchers successfully demonstrate the scientific basis of the technology by creating a burning plasma in the laboratory, an expert panel assembled by the U.S. National Academies recommends in a report released today. February 21, 2013
• An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy (2013) and Assessment of Inertial Confinement Fusion Targets (2013) reports were released in prepublication form today. February 20, 2013
• A Symposium on World Wide Progress Toward Fusion Energy was held on February 16 during the 2013 Annual meeting of the AAAS in Boston, MA. February 16, 2013, Posted Feb 26, 2013
  
• ITER: A Magnetically-Confined Burning Plasma Integrating Fusion Science and Technology - Richard .J. Hawryluk, ITER Deputy Director General
• The National Ignition Facility and the Ignition Campaign - Debra A. Callahan, Group Leader for ICF/IFE Target Design LLNL
  
• Advances in Burning Plasma-related Physics and Technology in Magnetic Fusion  - Amanda  E. Hubbard, Deputy Head of USBPO, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
• Direct Drive and Alternate Approaches to Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) - Riccardo Betti, Professor, Univ of Rochester, Laboratory of Laser Energetics
• Issues and Paths to Magnetic Confinement Fusion Energy - Hutch Neilson, Advanced Projects Head, PPPL
• Pathway from the National Ignition Facility to an Operational LIFE power plant - Mike Dunne, Program Director for Laser Fusion Energy, LLNL
  
• The FESAC Subcommittee on Future Facilities formed in response to Facilities Charge from the Office of Science has received 38 White Papers in response to a request for public input.  February 18, 2013
• A Symposium on External review reaffirms hurdles for nuclear-fusion superlaser (Nature News Blog, Brumfiel) - The findings of an independent peer-review panel lay out in detail why achieving that goal is turning out to be so difficult.  February 6, 2013
• Final Report of the "Koonin" Review of the National Ignition Campaign - DOE - Under Secretary for Science, Steve Koonin, initiated a series of quarterly reviews of the National Ignition Campaign in 2011. February 5, 2013
• The FESAC met in Gaithersburg, MD on January 31, 2013. The Priorities Subcommittee report was reviewed and revised by FESAC, and the final FESAC report was sent to DOE on Feb 14, 2013.
  
• The presentations at the meeting were:
• FES Perspectives - Ed Synakowski, Associate Director of Office of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences
  
• Report of the FESAC Subcommittee on the Priorities of the Magnetic Fusion Energy Science Program - Bob Rosner, U Chicago
  
• FESAC Subcommittee on Future Facilities - John Sarff, U Wisc
• A Roadmap to the Realization of Fusion Energy - Francesco Romanelli, Leader EFDA, Associate Leader JET
  
• A video of the FESAC meeting webcast and additional information is available.
  
• Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that he will be leaving the DOE sometime after the end of February 2013. February 1, 2013
• The FESAC Subcommittee formed to address the DOE Office of Science charge on proposed scientific user facilities invites community input in the form of short, directed white papers. The instructions for composing these white papers are given here. The DUE DATE FOR WHITE PAPERS IS THURSDAY, FEB 14, 2013.   January 28, 2013
• Fusion Facilities to be assessed by FESAC have been identified; DIII-D National Fusion Facility Upgrade, Fusion Materials Facilities Initiative, Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) and Quasi-axisymmetric Research (QUASAR) Experiment.  January 25, 2013
• South Korea makes billion-dollar bet on fusion power (Nature News, Park) - Reactor to be built in 2030s represents a step towards commercial use.  South Korea has embarked on the development of a preliminary concept design for a fusion power demonstration reactor in collaboration with the US Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in New Jersey. January 21, 2013
• After ITER, Many Other Obstacles for Fusion Power (ScienceInsider,  D. Clery) - Although the successful operation of ITER, still more than 6 years away, will be considered a major breakthrough for fusion energy, the new road map from the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) includes a daunting list of the technical hurdles that fusion scientists and engineers still face over the next few decades.  January 20, 2013
• "Fusion Electricity: A roadmap to the realisation of fusion energy" was recently released by EFDA. The goal of the EU fusion program is to relize the production of electricity by fusion before 2050.  This roadmap describes the steps and resources required to achieve this goal. January 17, 2013
• A FESAC Meeting will be scheduled for late March to: receive the Facilities Charge Report (see below),  discuss the FY 13 and FY 14 budgets and ITER Status and Plans. January 16, 2013
• FESAC Meeting scheduled for January 31, 2013 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Gaithersburg Hilton, Gaithersburg, MD - the draft agenda is available.   January 16, 2013
• FESAC has been sent a new charge to prioritize proposed scientific user facilities for the period 2014-2024. This will be part of a process to update the 20 Year Office of Science Facilities Report published in 2003.  The list of fusion facilities to be prioritized has been prepared by the Associate Director for Fusion Energy Sciences.  FESAC has been directed to submit its final report by March 22, 2013.  December 27, 2012
• NIF Report Asks for More Time to Achieve Ignition - Science, D. Clery - The National Ignition Facility (NIF) faces an uncertain future after its managers admitted to Congress this month that they need at least another 3 years to try to identify what has prevented the giant laser fusion lab in California from achieving ignition. December 21, 2012
• Laser fusion put on slow burn- Nature, G. Brumfiel - The US National Ignition Facility rethinks its strategy on achieving thermonuclear fusion in the lab, but fails to silence critics. The new plan for NIF prepared by LLNL calls for a slower, more deliberate approach to achieving ignition: the point at which more energy is produced by a fusion reaction than is consumed. December 11, 2012
  
• Fusion Energy: Progress and Promise: Fusion Power Associates, 33rd Annual Meeting and Symposium will be held December 5-6 in Washington, DC. December 3, 2012
• Open letter to the associate director for DOE’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences - Physics Today,  Vyacheslav Lukin (NRL) and Anne White (MIT) – early-career research scientists and professors who work in plasma and fusion science express concern about the impact of proposed fiscal year 2013 budget for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES). December 1, 2012
• The 11th meeting of the ITER Council  ( Press Release ) met for the first time in the new ITER Council room to discuss plans to address schedule and budget concerns.  Plans include a stronger integraion of the Domestic Agencies and central ITER Organization management teams.  ITER also received formal approval from the French government for the construction of ITER. November 30, 2012
  
• A Short Fuse For Fusion As Ignition Misses Deadline: NPR Broadcast  (audio transcript)– NIF, as it's called, is a $5 billion, taxpayer-funded superlaser project whose goal is to create nuclear fusion — basically a tiny star inside a laboratory. But so far, that hasn't happened. November 28, 2012
• The Way Forward with Magnetic Fusion Energy - Stewart C. Prager, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, In Defense of Sustained Research on Fusion, New York Times, Opinion page, Dot Earth Blog by Andrew C. Revkin - November 19, 2012
• Program on Technology Innovation: Assessment of Fusion Energy Options for Commercial Electricity Production - EPRI Technical Report:1025636, October 2012 November 9, 2012
• Laser lab shifts focus to warheads - Nature, G. Brumfiel -(pdf, archive file) US ignition facility will devote less time to energy research. After an unsuccessful campaign to demonstrate the principles of a futuristic fusion power plant, the world’s most powerful laser facility is set to change course and emphasize its nuclear weapons research. November 7, 2012
• Ignition switch– Nature Editorial –The US National Ignition Facility has so far failed to generate fusion energy, but repurposing it as a tool to study nuclear weapons and basic science could be its saving grace. November 7, 2012
• Update and Outlook for the Fusion Energy Sciences - presented by Ed Synakowski, Associate Director, Fusion Energy Sciences, DOE at 54th APS-DPP meeting, October 29, 2012 November 7, 2012
• 1st IAEA DEMO Programme Workshop, was held at  UCLA, Los Angeles, CA - October 15-18, 2012. The presentations are available.  October 25, 2012
  
• 24th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference met in San Diego, CA on Oct 8-13, 2012 - The proceedings are available.  October 20, 2012
  
• U.S. Inertial Fusion Project Faces a Frugal Congress – NY Times, W. Broad – The National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project has as milestone of achieving ignition by the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2012) . That milestone has not been achieved and Congress, which would need to allocate more money to keep the project alive, is going to want some explanations. “We didn’t achieve the goal,” said Donald L. Cook, an official at the National Nuclear Security Administration who oversees the laser project. Rather than predicting when it might succeed, he added in an interview, “we’re going to settle into a serious investigation” of what caused the unforeseen snags. The failure could have broad repercussions not only for the big laser, which is based at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, but also for federally financed science projects in general.  September 30, 2012
• National Ignition Facility Likely to Miss Goal, Ponders New Course (Science 9/21/12) – The National Ignition Facility (NIF), a $3.5 billion laser fusion lab in California, looks certain to miss its deadline at the end of this month for achieving ignition. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), part of the U.S. Department of Energy, has until 60 days after the deadline to produce a report to Congress explaining what barriers to ignition remain, how they can be overcome, and what implications there are for the stockpile. September 23, 2012
• A Special meeting of ITER Management Advisory Committee (MAC) was held August 27-28, 2012 at ITER Headquarters in Cadarache in response to the request formulated by the ITER Council last June at its 10th meeting in Washington D.C.  The purpose of the meeting was to address plans to address the cost increase and schedule delay problems idemtified at the June ITER Council meeting. September 3, 2012
• The 20th ANS Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE-2012) is being held  at Nashville, TN August 27-30, 2012.  Several talks are posted below and a complete set will be posted later at the meeting web site. Updated September 16, 2012
• Challenges in Developing Materials for Fusion Technology–Past, Present and Future: S. J. Zinkle, ORNL
  
• Recent Progress on ITER ( Complete with assembly video 130 MB,  or Slides only as pdf) - R.J. Hawryluk, ITER Organization, Director of the Department for Administration New, Sep 16
• Update on NIF and NIC - Mike Dunne, LLNL New, Sep 16
  
• The Impact of Burning Plasma on Fusion Technology Development - Paul Thomas, ITER Organization
  
• Next Steps for Realizing Fusion Power and Comparative Analysis of Roadmaps of World Major Fusion Programs - Mohamed Abdou, UCLA
  
• Mission and Readiness Assessment for Fusion Nuclear Facilities - Hutch Neilson, PPPL
• Comparison of Options for a Pilot Plant Fusion Nuclear Mission - Tom Brown, PPPL
• National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade – Status and Plans - Jon Menard, PPPL
  
• Recent EFDA work on pulsed DEMO - Tom Todd, CCFE, UK
  
• Town Meeting "From ITER to DEMO – Technology Towards Fusion Power" organized by Hutch Neilson.  These talks are personal views of the speakers on the topic.
  
• Introduction Hutch Neilson, PPPL
• Stan Milora VLT, ORNL
• Charles Kessel, PPPL
• Tom Todd,  CCFE, UK Updated October 11, 2012
  
• Farrokh Najmabadi, ARIES, UCSD
• The White Papers submitted to the FESAC Panel on MFE Priorities are being posted under the  July 31 FESAC Panel meeting.  They are grouped roughly by topic and where possible are listed next to the relevant oral presentation.  Let me know ASAP if see find an error.  DMM August 18, 2012
• How long is the fuse on fusion? (Points of View, Physics Today) - H. Frederick Dylla, AIP - Harnessing the energy of nuclear fusion remains a formidable and worthwhile challenge. Meeting it requires nurturing international cooperation and reinvigorating US leadership. August 14, 2012
• The 19th International Symposium on Heavy Ion Inertial Fusion (HIF2012) is being held in Berkeley, California, USA,August 12 - 17, 2012  August 14, 2012
• Status of the National Research Council Study “An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy”,  R. Davidson and G. Kulcinski Co-Chairs
  
• US Burning Plasma Organization held a Virtual Forum to discuss issues related to FESAC Review of Priorities for Magnetic Fusion Energy,  The presentations below are the personal views  of the presentors that were intended to stimulate discussion on important issues for MFE.  Interested parties are encouraged to join continued discussions online at the US BPO website.  August 13,  2012
  
• Comments for the FESAC Panel on MFE Priorities - George Tynan, UCSD
• Input to Priorities Panel August 7, 2012  - Jeff Freidberg, MIT
• Some Strategic Thoughts - Rob Goldston, PPPL
• Optimizing and validating the magnetic confinement approach to fusion - Brett Chapman, U Wis
• Multidisciplinary multiphysics simulation and analysis tool to support “Fusion Materials Science” research - Martin Peng, ORNL
  
• Fusion Research is Important to America Today - American Security Project - map of participants in US Fusion Program.  August 3, 2012
  
• FESAC Panel on MFE Priorities (except ITER Project, HEDLP and Basic Plasma Science) held its second meeting on July 31, 2012 and had a public comment session. A videocast of the Public Comment session is at  http://doe.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 The slides for the public comment presentations are at:
•  Student perspectives and the future of the OFES workforce (Talk)-  Bob Mumgaard, MIT Grad student
• Don’t break the pipeline: Ensuring a workforce for the burning plasma era (White Paper)-G.M. Olynyk, Z.S. Hartwig, and R.T. Mumgaard, MIT Grad students
  
• Outsourcing Fusion: recruitment and retention of women (White Paper) - A. White, MIT
  
• What do international collaborations really mean for fusion? (White Paper) G. M. Olynyk, MIT
  
• Universities are the future for providing human capital in MFE (White Paper) - Saskia Mordijck, William & Mary
  
• The boundary plasma – currently an unstable foundation for reactor design (Talk) - Bruce Lipschultz and Dennis Whyte, MIT
• The critical importance of materials and plasma-wall interactions studies (White Paper) - Bruce Lipschultz and Dennis Whyte, MIT
  
•  Development of high confinement regimes without ELMs: A strength and priority of the US MFE program (White Paper) J. Hughes, A.Hubbard MIT
  
• Input to the FESAC Priorities Panel  Alcator C-Mod – The One Word Solution (White Paper) - J. Freidberg, MIT
  
• Robust, High-Temperature High Power Divertor Systems for FNSF/DEMO (White Paper)  B. LaBombard, MIT
  
• Developing a Robust Compact Tokamak Reactor Exploiting New SuperconductingTechnologies and Synergistic Effects of High Field (White Paper), D. Whyte, MIT
  
• LiWall Fusion: no alternative, no other option (White Paper)  L. E.Zakharov, PPPL
  
• A Note on the Logic of PMI Development for FNSF or Demo (White Paper) R. Goldston PPPL
  
• Addressing PMI Science and PFC technology for ITER, FNSF and DEMO (Talk) - Juergen Rapp, ORNL
  
• Addressing PMI science and PFC technology for ITER, FNSF and DEMO (White Paper) - Juergen Rapp, ORNL
• Liquid Metal Plasma Facing Component Research for the ITER Era and Beyond (White Paper) - MA Jaworski, R Goldston, R Majeski, CH Skinner (PPPL), NB Morley (UCLA)
  
• Fusion Simulation Program (FSP) (Talk) - Bill Tang, PPPL
• Fusion Simulation Program (FSP) (White Paper) - Bill Tang, PPPL
• Multi-scale Whole-Device Modeling in the ITER Era - (White Paper) S .Kruger, A. Pankin, and J. Cary Tech-X
  
• Predictive Simulations of Drift Wave Turbulence, Extended MHD, and Heating and Current Drive (White Paper) - P. Catto, P. Bonoli  MIT
  
• Computational Modeling and the Experimental Plasma Research Program  (White Paper)  R. Milroy, T. Jarboe, A. Glasser, George Marklin, Brian Nelson, Uri Shumlak, UWash, V. Lukin, NRL
  
• Perspectives on US program support of FNSF and ITER in coming decade, and Role of spherical tokamak in fusion energy science (Talk) - Jon Menard, PPPL 
• Comments on community participation and design studies for a U.S. FNSF (White Paper) -  Jon Menard, PPPL
• The Role of the Spherical Tokamak in the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program (White Paper) - Jon Menard, PPPL
  
• Developing Full Non-inductive Current Start-up and Ramp-up in NSTX-U (White Paper) - R. Raman, T. Jarboe, B. Nelson (U Wash), D. Mueller (PPPL)
  
• On the implications of disruptions for the US MFE program  (White Paper) - S. Gerhardt, PPPL
  
• Developing Advanced Fueling System and for supporting Disruption Mitigation studies for ITER on NSTX-U (White Paper) - R. Raman, T. Jarboe, B. Nelson (U.Wash)
  
• The Use of Compact Toroid Injection for Tokamak Central Fuelling and Runaway Electron (Re) Mitigation During Disruption Events  (White Paper)-D Hwang(UC Davis), D. Buchenauer, SNL
  
• MGI studies  in  NSTX-U  in  support of ITER Research (White Paper) - R. Raman, T. Jarboe (U. Wash), D. Stotler, Tyler Abrams (PPPL)
  
• Developing an  Electromagnetic Particle Injector (EPI) for ITER on NSTX-U (White Paper) R. Raman, U Wash
  
• Steady-State Operation of Tokamak Reactors: Current Drive Requirements (White Paper) - M.Porkolab, P. Bonoli, MIT
  
• Power-efficient current drive and current profile control (White Paper)- T. Jarboe, et al, U Washington
  
• The Need for a Strong US Stellarator Program (Talk) - Mike Zarnstorff, PPPL
• A Leadership-Class U.S. Domestic Stellarator Program (White Paper) - Hutch Neilson, David Gates, and Michael Zarnstorff, PPPL
• Innovative High Beta Stellarators (White Paper) - D. Spong, ORNL
  
• The Need for a National Stellarator Program (White Paper) - H. Weitzner, NYU
  
• Perspectives on a Constrained Fusion Ten-Year Fusion Program, (Comments on charge #2) (White Paper )- S. Prager, R. Goldston, J. Menard, H. Neilson, R. Wilson, M. Zarnstorff, PPPL
• Fusion Energy Sciences Priorities Over the Next 10-20 years (White Paper ) - C. Kessel, PPPL
  
• A Next-Step Planning and R&D Activity for the FES Program (White Paper) - H. Neilson, J. Menard, M. Zarnstorff
  
• Key Priorities for the U.S. Program in Support of ITER - (White Paper) - M.R. Wade, R. Buttery, GA
  
• Multidisciplinary multi-physics (MDMP) system simulation and an evolutionary experimental FNSF in support of Fusion Materials Science research (White Paper) M. Peng, ORNL
  
• Priorities for the US Fusion Program (White Paper) - Jeff Freidberg, MIT
  
• Thoughts on Future MFE Program (White Paper) John Sheffield
  
• The Continuing Need for Multi-Configuration Research (White Paper) - John Sarff, U. Wis
  
• White Paper on Magnetic Fusion Research Priorities (White Paper)- Weston Stacey, GT
  
• Statement of the Exploratory Plasma Research (EPR) Executive Committee - S. Hsu (LANL), B. Chapman(U. WI), H. Mclean(LLNL), B. Nelson(U. WA), S. Woodruff (Woodruff Scientific)
  
• Magnetic Fusion Priorities (White Paper) - Paul Bellan, CT
  
• Key Priorities of the U.S. MFE Program in Fusion Science (White Paper)- P Snyder, C.Petty, GA
  
• Actions to Enable U.S. Magnetic Fusion Program Leadership (White Paper), S. Sabbaugh, Columbia
  
• NSTX/NSTX-U Global Mode Stability Research Contributions Toward High Priority Research Topics for the U.S. Magnetic Fusion Program (White Paper) - S.A. Sabbagh and J.W. Berkery,
  
• The Path to Market for Compact Modular Fusion Power Cores (White Paper) - S. Woodruff, R. Miller
  
• Path to Market for Compact Modular Fusion Power Cores - S. Woodruff
  
• Summary of NRC Reports on Burning Plasmas  (White Paper) - J. Lancaster, NRC Plasma Science Committee
  
• Comments on the Status of and Future Possibilities for the U. S. Magnetic Confinement Fusion Research Program (White Paper) -  Richard F. Post
  
• The Forest and the Trees (White Paper) - J. Kesner, MIT
  
• Importance of University Programs to the FES Mission (White Paper) University Fusion Association, David Anderson, U Wisc
• University Programs in Fusion Science and Technology are Reaching a Tipping Point (White Paper) E. Marmar, MIT
  
• Fusion Program Planning: Hidden Assumptions (White Paper)- Glen Wurden, LANL
• Fusion Program Planning: Risk Reduction (White Paper)- Glen Wurden, LANL
• Leading Fusion Research via Alternative Pathways (White Paper)- Glen Wurden, LANL; T.  Evans, P. Parks
• Fusion Technologies for Tritium-Suppressed D-D Fusion (White Paper)- M. Mauel, Columbia; J. Kesner, MIT
  
• The Importance of the US Enabling R&D Program to the Development of Fusion Energy (White Paper), Stan Milora, VLT, ORNL
  
• Blanket and First Wall Science Priority and Funding Requirements as Part of a Broader Fusion Materials and Nuclear Science Program (White Paper) - M Abdou, UCLA
  
• The Tritium Breeding Reality and Need for Near-Term Breeding-Related R&D Programs (White Paper)  L. A. El-Guebaly, U Wis
  
• Superconducting Magnets Research for a Viable US Fusion Program (White Paper) - J.Minervini, L. Bromberg(MIT); P. Lee, D.C. Larbalestier(FSU
  
• ECRF Heating Technology - (White Paper) Temkin (MIT), J. Lohr (GA)
  
• Compatibility of Physics and Engineering in Magnetic Fusion (White Paper) -  A. Boozer, Columbia
  
• High-Level Fusion Physics and Materials Interface Challenges (White Paper) - C. Wong, T. Evans, E. Hollmann, D. Humphreys,T. Leonard, B. Merrill, M. Sawan
  
• Where are we going? The need for an integrated view of in-vessel technology and the path forward (White Paper)  Richard Nygren, SNL
  
• The Challenges Facing Fusion Safety and Environmental Research (White Paper) B. Merrill, L. Cadwallader, and P, Humrickhouse  INEL
  
• Early Material Qualification for Advanced Magnetic Fusion Energy (White Paper), M. Fluss, LLNL
  
• Development of Code and Standards for Fusion Construction Activities (White Paper) - W.K. Sowder , QMS
  
• Fission Fusion Hybrids (White Paper) - W. Mannheimer, NRL
  
• Nanoparticle Plasma Jets (NPPJ) for Support of Fusion Research on Tokamaks (White Paper) - Nick Bogatu, J. Thompson and J. Kim
  
• RACER (Ring ACElerated Reactor) (White Paper) R. F. Bourque, LANL
  
• Fusion Program Input (Note)  R. F. Bourque, LANL
• Specially conditioned em fields to reduce nuclear fusion input energy needs (White Paper) - H. D. Froning Jr,  T. W. Barrett,  G. H. Miley
  
• Quark Synthesis String Theory from Dark Matter to Light Emitting Atoms (White Paper) - W. B. Webb
  
• Additional Public Input Talks given at the July 23 meeting.  Note All Public Input White Papers are under this July 31 FESAC meeting link
  
• Dr. Robert Beyer, President of the American Physical Society sends a strong letter to Dr John Holdren, Director of OSTP, "to urge you to fund increases in U.S. commitments to the international ITER program in FY13 and beyond from an independent account within the Department of Energy’s budget. I also urge you to support the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee’s plan to restore $45 million for the long-term U.S. domestic plasma science and fusion energy research program, which the president’s FY13 Office of Fusion Energy Science (OFES) budget request removed." The APS also urges "Congress to work with the Administration to develop a dedicated funding line so that the U.S can both meet its international commitments AND sustain a strong domestic research program and a well trained, highly capable fusion science workforce.  July 25, 2012
• Results of National Ignition Campaign Review - DOE is holding quarterly reviews of the National Ignition Campaign being carried out on NIF.
• 6th Review of NIC
• Report  of 6th Review meeting has been released  July 24, 2012
• Project Status report ( May 31, 2012) June 28, 2012
• Report of the 5th review meeting  has been released,February 14, 2012
  
• Report of the 4th review meeting has been released, November 9, 2011
  
• Report of the 3rd review meeting has been released, June 20, 2011
• Report of the 2nd review meeting has been released, March 10, 2011
• Report of the 1st review meeting has been released,  December 8, 2010
• US fusion in budget vice -(Nature News, July 24, 2012) - Domestic facilities struggle for survival as funding is directed to international reactor. (pdf file)  July 24, 2012
• FESAC Panel on MFE Prioritieswill hold its second meeting on July 31, 2012.  A second public input session has been schedued for 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.  July 19, 2012
• FESAC Panel on MFE Priorities (except ITER Project, HEDLP and Basic Plasma Science) held its first meeting on July 18, 2012 and had a public input session.  The public input talks are available as videocasts.  New Link  The slides for the public input presentations are at:
• Perspectives on Priorities for Fusion Energy Sciences and The Role of Alcator C-Mod  -  Earl Marmar, PSFC, MIT  July 18, 2012
• Comments on FESAC charge #2 (perspective on a flat MFE budget for 10 years) -  Stewart Prager, PPPL  July 18, 2012
• Perspectives on a Constrained Fusion Ten-Year Fusion Program, (Comments on charge #2) (White Paper)- S. Prager, R. Goldston, J. Menard, H. Neilson, R. Wilson, M. Zarnstorff, PPPL
  
• Perspectives on The Development of Fusion Energy: Elements of a Viable Near-Term US Strategy - Miklos Porkolab, PSFC, MIT  July 18, 2012
• Fusion Energy Science Program Priorities - Tony Taylor, GA  July 18, 2012
• DIII-D’s Role in Advancing U.S. Interests in Fusion Energy Development - Mickey Wade, GA  July 18, 2012
• Perspectives on Addressing the FESAC Charge - Ray Fonck, U Wisc  July 18, 2012
• Return to May 31, FESAC Meeting with Public Input and all White Papers
  
• NIF achieves 500 TW Milestone.  On July 5 the NIF laser system of 192 beams delivered more than 500 trillion watts (terawatts or TW) of peak power and 1.85 megajoules (MJ) of ultraviolet laser light to its target. This completes the laser requirements for the NIC project, and sets the stage for tests of DT ignition on NIF.  July 13, 2012
• FESAC MFE (not including ITER) Priorities Subcommittee Chair, Bob Rosner, invites fusion community oral input at an open forum at the first Subcommittee meeting on 18 July, starting at 13:00 EDT, and running as late as 16:00 EDT, should that be necessary.  Submission of White Papers is strongly encourged.   July 10, 2012
  
• FESAC Panel has been formed to Assess US Fusion (MFE non-ITER) Program Priorities for the rest of the decade and is expected to begin activities next week.  Member List now complete, July 5, 2012
• Results of National Ignition Campaign Review - DOE is holding quarterly reviews of the National Ignition Campaign being carried out on NIF.
• Report of the 5th review meeting has been released   June 28, 2012
  
• ITER Council Expresses Commitment and Concern at 10th ITER Council meeting held in Washington, DC on June 20-21, 2012.  The Council expressed concern over delays in the manufacturing of some major components such as the vacuum vessel. The ITER Organization presented proactive and forward-looking measures to stop further slippage; the implementation of some of these measures has already begun. The Council urged the ITER Organization to further develop and implement a complete schedule recovery strategy in close cooperation with Domestic Agencies. Council members reasserted the necessity of keeping the project well on schedule and within cost. June 25, 2012
• U.S. Reps. Rush Holt and Rodney Frelinghuysen visited the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory this morning to announce that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to restore $76 million in funding for fusion energy research. June 13, 2012
• Magnetic Fusion Energy – Steps to Commercialization - (American Security Project Symposium, June 5, 2012) -  agenda.   General Lester Lyles and Hon. Barton Gordon give their perspectives on the future for fusion.  June 5, 2012
• Progress in fusion, but not in its US funding (Physics Today June, 2012) -Although some countries are, like the US, struggling with funding, they are forging ahead with fusion—especially in Asia. June 5, 2012
• Senate Appropriations  Energy and Water Committee Subcommittee reports to full Senate Appropriations Committee – (Fusion Power Associates)  April 30, 2012
• Fusion Energy Sciences – The Committee recommends $398,324,000 as requested for Fusion Energy Sciences. Within these funds, the Committee recommends $150,000,000 as requested for the U.S. contribution to ITER. Further, the Committee directs the Office of Science to include a project data sheet with details of all project costs until the completion of the project for ITER in the fiscal year 2014 budget submission.
  
• Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition And High Yield Campaign  – The Committee recommends $460,000,000 as requested. The Committee directs NNSA to establish an independent advisory committee as soon as possible to help set a strategic direction for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy density physics research and determine how best to use current facilities to advance this scientific field.
  
• House Appropriations  Energy and Water Committee Subcommittee reports to full House Appropriations Committee April 25, 2012
• Fusion Energy Sciences – The Committee recommends $474,617,000 for fusion energy sciences, $72,440,000 above fiscal year 2012 and $76,293,000 above the request. This restores domestic fusion activities including operation of Alcator C-Mod and more nearly funds the ITER construction request.
• Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Yield Campaign –The Committee recommends $480,000,000, $3,726,000 above fiscal year 2012 and $20,000,000 above the budget request.
• Workshop on the Science of Fusion Ignition on NIF (May 22-24, 2012): This international workshop will be organized to discuss the science that has been learned in the National Ignition Campaign, identify new science questions that have arisen, and begin to extend the lines of experimental and theoretical inquiry that would build on and address these questions over a multi-year time frame. April 23, 2012
• Solicitation for Fusion Energy Sciences International Collaboration Proposals - Pre-Application Due Date: May 14, 2012 - April 22, 2012
  
• A New Charge for FESAC to Assess US Fusion Program Priorities has been given announced by DOE -  ( Archive copy pdf)   April 22, 2012
• Ministers of the European Parliament (MEPs) approve additional ITER funding - European Voice - The European Parliament today approved €650 million in additional funding to cover cost overruns at the international nuclear fusion project, ITER. Extra money needed to cover €1.3 billion cost overrun at experimental fusion reactor. pdf archive file April 20, 2012
• Congressional Action on Fusion Budget for FY2013
• House Panel Would Protect Domestic Fusion Program - (ScienceInsider), A.  Cho, pdf archive file April 19, 2012
• House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee would fix FY2013 fusion budget crisis -  The opening statment by Chairman Frelinghuysen states: "Within Science research, funding for the domestic fusion program is restored to last year’s level, and the international fusion program is increased to come closer to our commitments."  April 18, 2012
• House Appropriations Committee releases their  FY2013 Budget The bill to be considered by E &W SC in their Markup tomorrow "restores many of the cuts to the fusion energy program proposed by the President." April 17, 2012
• Letters to Congress urge support for a Strong US Fusion Research Program in advance for the April 18 Markup of the FY 2013 Budget by the House Energy and Water Appropriation Subcommittee.  Members of Congress, University Presidents, Fusion Community Leaders, and 258 fusion graduate students express concern about the disastrous impact of the Presidents's proposed FY2013 budget, and urge increased funding to maintain a viable US Fusion research program.  April 17, 2012
• Proposed U.S. Fusion Cuts Ignite Debate - (ScienceInsider) -pdf archive file  Both Republicans and Democrats on a U.S. House of Representatives spending panel yesterday questioned the Department of Energy's (DOE's) plan to help pay for an international fusion project by shutting down a U.S.-based fusion machine. March 21, 2012
• Skeptical Appropriators Question FY 2013 DOE Office of Science Budget Request (FYI: The AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News) –  pdf archive file– Yesterday’s hearing of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations’ Subcommittee on the Department of Energy’s FY 2013 request for the Office of Science had a mixed outcome.  While the subcommittee has traditionally been a strong supporter of the Office of Science, with Members reaffirming their support at this hearing, they raised many questions about the formulation and composition of the budget request. March 21, 2012
• House Energy and Water Development Appropriation Subcommittee, Department of Energy, Science Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 2:00 PM in 2362-B Rayburn
   Dr. Bill Brinkman, Under Secretary for Science (Acting), Office of Science Updated March 17, 2012
• Laser Fusion Nears Crucial Milestone - (Nature)- (pdf)  The National Ignition Facility quickens the pace as deadlines for ignition approach.  Posted March 7, 2012
• National Academy releases Interim Report on IFE—Status of the Study “An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy”.  Posted March 7, 2012
• 2013 Budget Hearings Posted March 5, 2012
• House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 8, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building.  The hearing is entitled “The FY 2013 DOE Budget.”Dr Steven Chu, Secretary Department of Energy  witness
  
• Senator Kerry Urges Increased Funding for US Fusion Program in FY 2013 – In a letter to the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee: Senator Kerry says, I am writing you today to express my serious concerns about the funding included in President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request for United States domestic fusion program and the effect it could have on our economy in the future.  I request that you provide $300 million for domestic fusion research and $150 million for the international ITER project for fusion research program in the Senate FY 2013 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.  Posted March 4, 2012
  
• House Committee on Science, Space and Technology - hearing on the DOE FY2013 Budget - Sectretary Chu witness. Lofgren expresses concern about fusion budgets  webcast available   Posted March 2, 2012
  
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) discussed the FY 2013 budget crisis and Twp Panel Reports at their recent Feb 28-29, 2012 meeting.
  
• Web cast of the meeting   Posted March 1, 2012
• Presentations and FESAC Letter to Brinkman
  
• FESAC Letter to W. Brinkman expressing concern abvout the impact of the President's FY2013 Budget on the US Fusion Program
  
• FY 2013 Budget Request to Congress for DOE’s Office of Science – W. Brinkman, Director Office of Science
  
• On the program, vision, and budget for the fusion and plasma sciences – E. Synakowski, Associate Director Office of Sceince, Fusion Energy Sciences
  
•  Basic Research Directions Workshop on User Science at the National Ignition Facility - J. Sarrao, Los Alamos
  
• Vanek
• Glowienka
• International Collaboration in Fusion Energy Sciences Research Opportunities and Modes During the ITER era – D. Meade, FESAC Panel, FIRE
  
• Final Report on International Collabortion Opportunities and Modes
  
• Present State and Future Plan of MCF Research in China   J. Li,  Director Institute of Plasma Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences
  
•  Materials Science & Technology Research Opportunities Now and in the ITER Era - S Zinkle, FESAC Panel Chair, ORNL
• Final Report on Materials Science and Technology Opportunities
  
• Public Comments at FESAC
  
• Earl Marmar, Head of the Alcator Project, MIT
• Glen Wurden, Head of Los Alamos Fusion Research Program, LANL
  
• Steve Dean, President of Fusion Power Associates
• Fusion Letters to Administration and Congress
  
• Letter to Secretary Chu and Science Advisor Holdren from US Fusion Leaders
  
• Fusion Leaders - One page Summary of 2013 Budget request  for Congressional Fusion Day 
• University of Wisconsin -  Request for Support of a US fusion Program in FY 2013 Budget to the Wisconsin Congressional  Delegation
  
• The US Fusion Budget Squeeze - FusionFuture -Information on the impact of the US Fusion Program Crisis.  February 26, 2012
• Bigger Contribution to ITER Erodes Domestic Fusion Program - (Science) - Budget cuts to the US domestic fusion program threaten to devastate the US fusion effort. When the US joined ITER in 2003, its projected cost was $5 billion, making the U.S. share roughly $500 million. Now the price tag tops $20 billion, and the U.S. share has ballooned to $2.2 billion or more. At the same time, DOE’s fusion budget has been flat for the past decade when adjusted for inflation. February 25, 2012
• The Fate of Fusion - SCIENCE LIVE  -3:00 pm Feb 23  a live chat hosted by Dan Cleary with Martin Greenwald and Michael Zarnstorff will respond to questions regarding the devastating budget cuts in FY 2013 to the US domestic fusion program.    February 22, 2012
• At DOE, Body Blows to Fusion, Nuclear Physics, and Particle Physics - (ScienceInsider-A. Cho) - In the single most dramatic shift, DOE would pay for an increased contribution to the ITER international fusion project by diverting funds from its domestic fusion programs, including shuttering a fusion experiment known as the Alcator C-Mod at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.  pdf copy     February 13, 2012
• Presidents proposed budget for FY 2013 has been released. The Office of Science budget increased by $118M from $4,873,634 to $4,992,052.  The total fusion budget went down $3M from $401 in FY12 to $398M in FY13.  The ITER budget would increase $45M from $105M in FY12 to $150M in FY13.  As a result, the domestic program  budget would be reduced $48M from $296M in FY12 to $248M in FY13.  The largest impact would be the shutdown of Alcator C-Mod.  Budget details available below.  February 13, 2012
  
• Office of Science Budget details and justification  or 1page summary
  
• Fusion Energy Science budget details and justification  or 1 page summary
• Fusion Energy Sciences -  FY 13 Fusion Budget Briefing - Synakowski
  
•  Laser Fusion Project Alters Goals, Fueling Concern Over Its Strategy, Science - D. Clery - The NIF Project has proposed a delay of schedule for three key milestones on the path to ignition.  Jamuary 7, 2012
• JASON Report on Tritium for Fusion Power Released - JASON was requested by DOE to examine the current state of scientific knowledge and engineering practice on the physical and chemical bases for large-scale tritium breeding. December 8, 2011
• EU Reaches Deal on ITER Funding - European Voice - MEPs, the European Commission and national governments have reached a deal to find €1.3 billion for the EU's contribution to building the international nuclear fusion project ITER.Janusz Lewandowski, the European commissioner for financial programming and budget, said he was “relieved” that the Parliament and member states had found the extra funds that the EU has promised to provide to ITER over the next two years.  December 2, 2011
• Outcry over EU Budget Plan -  Nature Nov 29, 2011  Costly Earth-monitoring and fusion-energy projects could be stripped from main budget. As Europe’s financial crisis deepens, a storm is also brewing over proposals that would change how two giant science and technology projects are funded. November 30, 2011
• FES Update: Activities, Comments on Budget, and on Vision presented by E.J. Synakowski, Associate Director  Fusion Energy Science at the 53rd Annual APS-DPP meeting, UFA Annual meeting session November 14, 2011
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee to Assess Opportunities in International Collaboration on Plasma Science and Control and Materials Science and Technology - Dale Meade at UFA session at 53rd APS-DPP,   November 14, 2011
• Results of National Ignition Campaign Review - DOE- Under Secretary for Science, Steve Koonin, is holding quarterly reviews of the National Ignition Campaign.  November 9, 2011
• Review Committee membership
• Report of the 4th review meeting has been released, November 9, 2011
  
• Report of the 3rd review meeting has been released, June 20, 2011
• Report of the 2nd review meeting has been released, March 10, 2011
• Report of the 1st review meeting has been released,  December 8, 2010
• The 5th meeting of the NAS Committtee to assess Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems will be held October 31-November 2, 2011 in Washington, DC October 20, 2011
• On the FES Vision, International Symposium on Fusion Nuclear Technology presented by E.J. Synakowski, Associate Director  Fusion Energy Science October 5, 2011
  
• European parliament supports separate ITER nuclear fusion budget - (London, Platts) - The EP also said it supported ITER being partially funded through project bonds issued by the European Investment Bank. The next step will be a legislative proposal from the European Commission, an EP spokeswoman told Platts. September 27, 2011
  
• The Senate Appropriations Committee has marked up the U.S. Department of Energy's FY 2012 budget request - (Fusion Power Associates) - Under the bill, which must still be passed by the full Senate, the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) would receive $335,464,000 compared to the FY 2011 level of $375,463,000. The President's FY 2012 request was for $399,700,000. The House-passed billl (FPA11-29) would provide $406,000,000. The NNSA Inertial Fusion program would receive $476,274,000 compared to $464,747,000 in FY 2011 and equal to the President's request. The House-passed bill would provide $471,174,000. Many observers believe that the government will go on "continuing resolution" (which holds spending at FY 2011 levels) until overall federal budget deficit issues are resolved and then that the Congress will pass one "omnibus" Fy 2012 federal budget instead of a large number of individual bills.  September 7, 2011   
• Magnetic Fusion Energy  Roadmapping Workshop - (PPPL) - The workshop attended by over 70 participants from around the world discussed issues related to developing a roadmap from today to a DEMO for magnetic fusion energy.  September 7, 2011
• Magnetic Fusion Energy from Physics to DEMO was presented to the EPRI  Fusion Energy Assessment on July 19-21, 2011  August 22, 2011
• Magnetic Fusion Fundamentals and Accomplishments - S Prager, PPPL
• Magnetic Fusion Power Plants - F, Najmabadi, UCSD
• Major Remaining Challenges and Solution Paths - R. Stambaugh, General Atomics
• Roadmapping an MFE Strategy - R. Fonck, University of Wisconsin
  
• Fusion Briefing for the House Research & Development Caucus - 3 August 2011, the American Security Project in conjunction with the House Research & Development Caucus hosted a briefing– Fusion Energy: An Opportunity for American Leadership and Security. The well-attended event heard from Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), co-chair of the House R&D caucus, Lt. Gen. Christman, Dr. Stewart Prager, Dr. Ed Moses, Dr. Laura Berzak, Brig. Gen. Steven Cheney, and Andrew Holland. August 3, 2011
• FESAC met on July 28, 2011 to hear updates on DOE perspectives on funding outlook and ITER Budget needs. Two new charges were issued for FESAC to assess International Collaboration possibities and to assess Nuclear Science Issues.  The agenda and links to presentations and a  videocast of the meeting are available.  posted August 22, 2011.
  
• How Seawater Can Power the World - New York Times - Stewart Prager, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory,  Seven partners — the European Union, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States — have teamed up on an experiment to produce 500 million watts of fusion power for 500 seconds and longer by 2020, demonstrating key scientific and engineering aspects of fusion at the scale of a reactor. However, even though the United States is a contributor to this experiment, known as ITER, it has yet to commit to the full program needed to develop a domestic fusion reactor to produce electricity for the American power grid. Meanwhile other nations are moving forward to implement fusion as a key ingredient of their energy security. What has been lacking in the United States is the political and economic will. We need serious public investment to develop materials that can withstand the harsh fusion environment, sustain hot plasma indefinitely and integrate all these features in an experimental facility to produce continuous fusion power. It is a litmus test for the willingness of our nation to tackle the tough challenges that will shape our future. Scientists and engineers stand ready to help. July 10, 2011
• Recent SOFE Technical meeting and SOFE Town Hall meeting described in ITER Newsline.  July 8, 2011
• A Town Hall meeting on "Accelerating the Development of Fusion Energy" was held June 27, 2011 at the 24th IEEE Symposium on Fusion Engineering in Chicago, Il. July 4, 2011
• The Eight Meeting of the ITER Council June 14-15, 2011 at Aomori, Japan (Press Release) - The Council expressed its satisfaction with the progress of building construction onsite in Cadarache (France) and the fabrication of major components. Maintaining the ITER project's schedule within approved funding, including mitigating the effects of the Japanese earthquake on the manufacturing of critical components, were among the important issues discussed at the eighth meeting of the ITER Council. A strategic plan aiming at schedule performance recovery will be developed by the beginning of October 2011. The Director-General of the ITER Organization, Osamu Motojima, stressed “We will take all necessary measures to minimize the delay.” June 16, 2011 
• FY12 budget from House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water provides strong support for Magnetic and Inertial Fusion Research. Full Report or  Report on Fusion. The  Subcommittee also calls for the Department  to submit a 10-year plan, not later than 12 months after enactment of this Act, on the Department’s proposed research and development activities in magnetic fusion under four realistic budget scenarios. June 1, 2011
• US Fusion Energy Program to be reviewed again
  
• The US DOE Office of Science has commissioned the JASONS to conduct a technical review for DOE of tritium breeding technologies suitable for fusion based power plants.  The first meeting will be held June 27-28, 2011 in La Jolla, CA. June 1, 2011
• The Electric Power Research Insitute is carrying out a review of all aspects of the potential for fusion energy to produce electricity.  The first meeting of the review committee, a Workshop, will be July 19-21, 2011.  June 1, 2011
• EU MEPs Concerned over ITER Funding - EU Voice - MEPs on the European Parliament's budgets committee doubt whether a proposed €1.3 billion in extra funding for 2012-13 for the ITER international experimental fusion reactor will be enough to cover construction costs. The joint delegation of the budgets and budgetary control committees went to France to assess what the extra funds would be spent on. Preliminary conclusions recommended that funds should be released only if MEPs are regularly updated on progress and given full access to internal audit documents.  May 28, 2011
• ITER Management Advisory Committee (MAC) held its 11th meeting about May 18-20  in Cadarache, FR - Topics discussed included how to distribute the increased costs resulting from design review changes among the various parties, and how to mitigate construction delays due to design changes and impact of the Japanese earthquake.  Details of the discussion and potential solutions are not available. May 23, 2011
• ITER Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) held its 7th meeting May 9-11 in Cadarache, FR -  Topics discussed included cost containment, development of the radiofrequency heating systems and  in-vessel coil systems, status of R&D on the ITER Disruption Mitigation System and resolution of central solenoid conductor problems. Details of the discussion and potential solutions are not available. May 23, 2011
  
• Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems - The first meeting of the National Academy of Sciences committee to assess the energy potential of ICF ocurred on December 16-17, 2010.  Some of the  presentations are posted here. 
  
• A second meeting was held January 29-31, 2011 at San Ramon, California with a tour of Livermore. 
• The third meeting of the National Academy of Sciences committee to assess the energy potential of ICF was held March 30 to April 1, 2011 in Albuquerque, NM.  Talks are being posted. April 2,  2011
• Impact of Earthquake on fusion activities in Japan - We have received news from:
  
• Sendai, Japan,  Department of Electronic Engineering, Tohoku University, Fortunately, all our laboratory staff are safe. Essential utilities, such as electric power, water, gas, are gradually recovered and we are returning to our daily life.The recovery of machines in the laboratory perhaps take some time.  March 19, 2011
• Rokkasho-mura: Pascal Garin, IFMIF/EVEDA Project Leader reports that the electricity in Rokkasho was restored by Saturday evening (March 12), which is really an impressive response, considering the disaster that Japan had to face. Telecommunication is not totally reliable. Yesterday Sunday our email server was still off, but now, on Monday morning, it is working again. The situation in Rokkasho is rather sound with respect to the middle of the Honshu (the big disaster area starts at Hachinohe and down to Ibaraki). I could see most of the people on Saturday afternoon, and everybody is safe here and I begin to have reassuring news from our colleagues of JAEA from Ibaraki (Naka, Tokai and Oarai). But they have big damage and we have to wait the safety inspections to proceed. I don’t have yet any news from colleagues of Hachinohe nor Tohoku University in Sendai.Nevertheless, we remain in high alert, as the authorities warn us that there is a 70 % risk of another earthquake of magnitude 7 in the coming days. March 14, 2011
• Naka Site from Hideyuki Takatsu:  I can confirm all of the JAERI-Naka staff are all right. Damage to the facilities in Naka is limited, mainly on the wall and ceiling, or falling-down of the book-shelf, etc., however careful checking by professionals is needed for one or two buildings. Life line (electricity, water) is not yet available at Naka area, and staff of JAERI-Naka will stay at home until life line is made available. Social infrastructure (railway, road etc.) is also under recovery. While damages on our social system are relatively limited in relative view of a serious disaster in Tohoku area, it will take some time for our social system to get back to a normal operation mode. Quakes are still continuing frequently, and it is reported 70% probability to have another big quake at a magnitude level of seven in a couple of days. So we are still in a high tension. March 14, 2011
• JPARC neutron source at Tokai from Frank Munger at Knoxville News - "Initial assessment of the spallation source reports that the target moved by 30 cm (!) and that two annex buildings subsided by about 30 cm. The main target building and instrument shielding seems to be fine. I do not have any information yet about the accelerator. Further assessment of damage will be made over the next few weeks but one can estimate a recovery period of several months.  No information about the JRR-3M reactor. Updated March 15,  2011
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee met March 7-8, 2011 to hear an update on US fusion budgets,  and fusion research progress (agenda).  The entire meeting is available for webcast at
  FESAC Meeting Webcast.  March 10,  2011
• Cable test raises fears at fusion project  NatureNews - Degradation of superconducting cables for the heart of the ITER fusion machine threatens to cause further delays.  The ITER Project has put team in place to address this issue and hopes to have a resolution by June. March 8,  2011
• The President's 2012 Federal Budget Request  Feb 14,  2011
• DOE Summary Budget Request provides $29.5 billion, a 12 percent increase over the 2010 enacted level. Feb 14,  2011
• DOE Detailed Budget Request Updated!!!!
• DOE Secretary Steven Chu videocast at Blog Energy and at DOE TV starting at 1:30 pm today (approximate!!)  Feb 14,  2011
• Overview of the U.S. Fiscal Year 2012 Science & Technology R&D Budget - OSTP Director John Holdren and Assoc. Directors, live web cast at 1:30 pm. Feb 14,  2011
• DOE Office of Science Detailed Request  for FY12 is $5.4B, FY11≈ $4.95B, FY10 = $5.2B  Updated!!!!
  
• Fusion Energy Sciences Detailed Request for FY12= $400M, FY11≈ $365M, FY10 = $434M Updated!!!!
• Fusion Energy Science Budget Roll Out - E Synakowski Updated!!!!
• DOE NNSA  Detailed Request  Updated!!!!
•  ICF and ASCI Detailed Budget Request - Inertial confinement fusion ignition and high yield campaign for  FY12 =$476M, FY11≈$482M, FY10=$$457M, ASCI Request for FY12= $629M, FY11=$616M, FY10=$566M Updated!!!!
• Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems - The second meeting of the National Academy of Sciences committee to assess the energy potential of ICF ocurred on January 29-31.  The  presentations are posted here along with a request for  members of the public to submit 2-pagers on IFE topical issues. Feb 3,  2011
  
• 2nd Quarterly Ignition Campaign Review  on January 24, 2011 - Under Secretary for Science, Steve Koonin, will hold the 2nd quarterly review of the National  Ignition Campaign being carried out on NIF on January 24, 2011
• National Academy names Panel to review classified ICF Target Physics for NAS IFE Review Committee. The target panel will hold its first meeting February 16-17 at Keck Center, 500 5th Street NW, Washington, DC. Persons wishing to attend those portions of the meeting open to the publice should contact LaNita Jones   Updated January 20, 2011
• Results of National Ignition Campaign Review Released - DOE- Under Secretary for Science, Steve Koonin, released the results of the intial review of the National  Ignition Campaign being carried out on NIF.  January 6, 2011
• Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems - The first meeting of the National Academy of Sciences committee to assess the energy potential of ICF ocurred on December 16-17.  Some of the  presentations are posted here.  A second meeting is planned for January 29-31 San Ramon Marriott,2600 Bishop Drive, San Ramon, California 94583. Agenda is now posted.  Updated January 19, 2011
• Message to ITER Fusion Project: Keep Calm and Carry On - ScienceInsider - (archive pdf) Managers from the ITER fusion reactor project in France held urgent meetings at the European Commission in Brussels today following Wednesday's collapse of the commission's plan for filling a €1.4-billion ITER funding hole in 2013. The message they heard from the Commission was: Don't panic, we still have 12 months to sort out this problem. The Commission reassured ITER managers today that this won't affect the project's budget or schedule, but it must now go back to the drawing board and come up with another plan to finance ITER during 2012 and 2013. December 17, 2010
• Europe's ITER Budget Deal Falls Through, Threatening Fusion Project - ScienceInsider - (archive pdf) A plan to cover a budget shortfall for the ITER fusion reactor project in France appears to have fallen apart just 2 weeks before the end-of-year budget deadline. The plan was to use €1.4 billion in unused 2010 budget funds to fill a gap in 2012-13 caused by the project's ballooning costs. But that money will now be returned to European Union member governments.  In the negotiations over the commission's new budget proposal that ended yesterday, the parliament and governments agreed on the budget as a whole but failed to reach agreement on ITER funding. According to the commission's research spokesperson Mark English, €570 million will now be returned to member governments and lost to ITER. Another €330 million, not currently earmarked for ITER, will be carried over and conceivably could be used to support the project. It's not clear what will happen to the remaining €500 million. "It is important to remember that ITER's additional financing needs must be met only in 2012, 2013," says English. "So there is still time to find a comprehensive solution. Having said that, it is undeniable that this is a lost opportunity." December 16, 2010
• Nuclear fusion finance plan (for ITER) rejected by EU Parliament - BBC Science - (archive pdf) A plan to rescue European financing of the Iter nuclear fusion reactor project has been rejected at the final hurdle. Member states had wanted to reallocate 1.4bn euros from the existing Brussels budget to cover a shortfall in building costs in 2012-13. But the European Parliament has refused to approve the plan. Member states will now have to table a new proposal for early next year but access to the EU's 2010 budget is now closed. December 16, 2010
• National Academy forms committee to Review Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems   -  Ronald Davidson and Gerald Kulcinski will co-chair the eighteen member committee. The Committee will prepare a report that will: Assess the prospects for generating power using inertial confinement fusion; Identify scientific and engineering challenges, cost targets, and R&D objectives associated with developing an IFE demonstration plant; and Advise the U.S. Department of Energy on its development of an R&D roadmap aimed at creating a conceptual design for an inertial fusion energy demonstration plant. November 18, 2010
• New ITER Chief Aims to Get Some Financial Wiggle Room - ScienceInsider - (archive pdf) Cost cutting has been the name of the game for Osamu Motojima since he took the reins of the ITER fusion reactor project, the world’s most expensive science experiment, in July. On Wednesday and Thursday, at the first ITER Council meeting under his leadership, Motojima outlined his plans for keeping the project’s cost in check after several years during which every cost estimate seemed to be larger than the previous one. November 18, 2010
• ITER Council (IC), the Governing Body of the ITER Organization, completes its seventh meeting in Cadarache on 17-18 November.  The Council welcomed the actions taken by the Director-General since his appointment and commended the strong collaboration between the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies towards cost containment and cost savings. The Council encouraged further efforts by the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies to improve coordination and to reduce costs. The Council approved the Annual Work Plan and the Budget for 2011. The Chairs of the ITER Council and its subsidiary bodies were re-elected. November 18, 2010
• ITER Parliament Refuses to grant EU Commission request for increased 2011 budget allocation for ITER
• European Budget Snafu Could Delay Progress on Fusion Reactor -ScienceInsider- (archive pdf) Progress on the international ITER fusion reactor could be slowed by an impasse over the 2011 budget of the European Union. On Monday, the E.U. Council of Ministers (representing the 27 member governments) and the European Parliament (directly elected by European citizens) missed a deadline, an action that restarts the clock on budget negotiations. Missing another end-of-the-year deadline would push the 2010 budget into 2011, a step that could destroy a carefully constructed rescue package for the E.U.'s share of ITER's much-inflated cost. November17, 2010
• UK, Netherlands block 2011 EU budget - EurActive- (archive pdf) European Parliament negotiators failed to overcome opposition from the UK and the Netherlands to the 2011 budget yesterday night (15 November), calling into question funding for ambitious projects such as the EU diplomatic service and the ITER nuclear reactor. November 16, 2010
• Fusion project (ITER) looks for savings - NatureNews- (archive pdf) The world's most expensive science experiment is on the hunt for savings. ITER, a fusion test reactor under construction near Cadarache, France, is looking to trim around €500 million (US$688 million) from its massive construction budget — which informal estimates place as high as €15 billion. November 12, 2010
• DOE to design a US governmental approach to inertial fusion energy technology - (Fusion Power Associates) Dr. David Crandall, NNSA’s Chief Scientist, has been asked to take on a unique and challenging assignment.  Dr. Crandall will be directly supporting the Under Secretary for Science, Dr. Steven Koonin, on national security matters, including helping to design a government approach to inertial fusion energy technology.  He will facilitate cooperation and collaboration between NNSA and the Office of Science, which are key to advances in inertial fusion energy.  November 4, 2010
• European Parliament votes to cut 2011 spending on ITER nuclear fusion project - London(Platts) -  Members of the European Parliament's budget committee on Monday night voted to cut planned funding for the ITER experimental nuclear fusion project in 2011, the Green group in the European Parliament said Tuesday. The budget committee adopted an amendment to cut the ITER budget by Eur57 million to Eur304.76 million ($419.77 million) in 2011 in a revision to the EU's research budget. October 5, 2010
• RISING ABOVE THE GATHERING STORM, REVISITED - Rapidly Approaching Category 5:  this report is authored by members of the committee that produced the 2005 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. The National Academies requested this new report to get the perspective of the original committee on progress and change since the 2005 report. September 23, 2010
  
• Fusion funding slammed in European Parliament - Nature - A proposal to fund a multi-billion-euro fusion experiment through cuts in Europe’s research budget has met with a frosty reception in the European Parliament, which must ultimately give its imprimatur to the deal. According to a story in European Voice, parliament’s budget committee has rejected the compromise proposal, throwing the whole process back into turmoil. Talks will continue, with the hope of reaching a deal by 2012, when the money really starts to get tight. In the meantime, construction cranes have popped up on the site near Cadarache, France. September 16, 2010
• Fresh Start for Fusion Project as New Leader Shakes Up Management - Science - Osamu Motojima, the new ITER Director General  announced a new management structur for the ITER central organization, and expressed his goal to simplify the decision processes and project execution.  In an attempt to forestall future budget battles, the ITER Council last week placed a cap on the overall budget of the reactor, to be built in Cadarache, France. Building ITER on time and on budget will be a “tough job,” Motojima admits. August 05, 2010
• Extraordinary ITER Council meeting approves the Project baseline- (ITER Project) The ITER Council unanimously approved the ITER baseline as presented by the ITER Organization, in particular, the Overall Project Schedule (OPS), and the Overall Project Cost (OPC) with a capping to foster cost containment. Regarding the ITER Project Schedule, the main milestone is to achieve the First Plasma in November 2019. The start of Deuterium-Tritium operation is planned for March 2027. The ITER Council however encouraged the ITER Organization to explore ways to optimize the schedule in order to begin Deuterium-Tritium operation in 2026, if possible. Another important decision of this extraordinary meeting was the appointment of Prof. Osamu Motojima as new Director-General of the ITER Organization, from 28 July 2010. Kaname Ikeda, who has led the ITER Organization since November 2005, had earlier expressed his wish to resign at the moment the ITER baseline would be approved by the ITER Council. The ITER Council approved the main management structure of the ITER Organization which was presented by Mr. Motojima. The new management structure will be effective as of 28 July 2010. July 28, 2010
• States agree on new funding, schedule for nuclear fusion plan AFP July 29, 2010, 1:33 am  CADARACHE, France (AFP) - The European Union and six states backing a multi-billion-dollar nuclear fusion project said Wednesday they had reached a deal on the financing and timetable for the experimental reactor. ITER's governing council reached the deal after a two-day meeting in Cadarache at which Europe pledged to provide additional financing of a maximum 6.6 billion euros (8.5 billion dollars), it said in a statement. It also formalised a decision to abandon its goal of 2018 to obtain the first plasma and set November 2019 as its new target. The meeting also named Japanese physicist Osamu Motojima as ITER's new director-general, to replace his compatriot Kaname Ikeda. The total estimated bill for the EU has doubled to 7.2 billion euros (9.2 billion dollars), with the overall cost now reckoned to be around 15 billion euros (19.2 billion dollars). July 28, 2010
• Senate Energy and Water Bill for FY2011 Marked up by Appropriations Committee - Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) would be funded at $384.0 million, a decrease of $42.0 million below the FY10 enacted level and $4.0 million above the budget request. Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High-yield Campaign- The Committee recommends $481,548,000 as requested. Within these funds, at least $62,477,000 and $48,000,000 shall be used for inertial confinement fusion activities at the University of Rochester's Omega facility and Sandia National Laboratory's Z facility, respectively.  July 25. 2010
• Funding for nuclear fusion - Expensive Iteration -The Economist  describes its take on the the funding difficulties faced by ITER, the huge international fusion-reactor project. (pdf archive version) July 22, 2010
• Latest EU Plan to cover ITER Cost Over run raids Research Budget and Agricultural Subsidy - ScienceInsider - The European Commission, the E.U.'s executive body, revealed today how it intends to pay for the ballooning cost of the international ITER fusion reactor, which is due to begin construction in Cadarache, France, this month. Faced with a backlash from the European Parliament and from researchers, the commission is not going to take all of the €1.4 billion needed for ITER before the end of 2013 from the research budget, as the E.U. member states had suggested. Instead, the commission will take only €460 million from the current Framework research program (FP7). The commission wants to take another €400 million from a section of the E.U. budget for agricultural subsidies. Where the remaining €540 million will come from will be decided later this year. ( pdf archive version)  July 20, 2010
• Plan for EU to cover ITER Cost Overrun is not a done deal - ScienceInsider -  In a response to the Council's proposal seen by Science, the commission says that the council's proposals "would not resolve the long-term financing problems of ITER." The commission went on to say that it "reserves its position concerning the approval of the project baseline as well as its right to make more appropriate proposals to the budgetary authority." That budgetary authority, which must sign off on any changes to the budget, is the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, and the latter, according to a source in the commission, is very unlikely to approve a raiding of the budget for ITER.( pdf archive version) July 18, 2010
• Energy Research Takes a Hit in House Spending Bill for 2011 -ScienceInsider- In a mark-up of the budget for 2011, a spending panel in the House of Representatives has trimmed the budget for DOE's Office of Science from a requested $5.121 billion to $4.900 billion. That $221 million drop is actually $4 million less than the office is getting for the current fiscal year, which ends 30 September. July 16, 2010
• National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges for Energy Summit  Duke University- Session on Fusion Energy has talks:  Inertial Fusion Energy by Ed Moses, Magnetic Fusion Energy by Ned Sauthoff, Fusion Power Plant Conssiderations by Farrokj Najmabadi and a panel discussion.  Mar 3-5, 2010, posted July 16, 2010
  
• EU agrees to fund ITER Construction Cost Overrun - BBC-After months of protracted negotiations, the monies were finally sanctioned at an Agriculture and Fish Council meeting on 12 July. The funds will come from a variety of sources within the EU budget, including from its research budget (the Framework Programme 7). The approval of additional cash paves the way for a special Council meeting of ITER itself, which will take place on 27-28 July. This meeting will define the scope and schedule for the project. July 13, 2010
• EU research funds to be diverted to fusion reactor: Nature-Ailing ITER may get bailout from framework programme, Nature  466, 171 (2010)- European nations hope to redirect more than €1 billion (US$1.25 billion) earmarked for research grants to make up a budget shortfall at the experimental ITER fusion reactor. The proposal has alarmed scientists, who say that it will rob researchers of vital funds at a time when governments are planning to scale back domestic research budgets in response to the global economic downturn. pdf version  July 7, 2010
• Fusion reactor set to raid Europe's research funds - Nature Online July 1, 2010.  The €1.4-billion gap in EU funding for the ITER project could be plugged with Framework cash from other research programs in the 7th Framework. European nations hope to divert more than a billion euros that were earmarked for research grants to make up a budget shortfall at the experimental ITER fusion reactor, Nature  has learned. pdf version  July 1, 2010
• The National Academy of Science will assess the prospects for inertial confinement fusion energy systems.   June 25, 2010
  
• The Next Generation of Fusion Energy Research -  Hearing  before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representatives, 111th Congress, First Session, October 29, 2009.  Transcript of the first Congressional hearing on fusion in nearly twenty years.  June 17, 2010
• ITER Council defers decisions on rebaselined scope, schedule, cost and management recomendations until another ITER Council meeting in July, 2010 - The ITER Members agreed to hold a Council Meeting in Cadarache, France in the last week of July 2010 when all delegations expect to be in a position to complete discussions on the next steps of the ITER project. Official Press Release . June 17, 2010
• ITER Still Seeking Approval—and Money  -ScienceInsider - The governing council of the ITER fusion reactor project has again passed up the chance to give final approval to the €16 billion project's baseline, the detailed document describing the reactor's design, schedule, and cost. But delegates at the council meeting in Suzhou, China, on 16 to 17 June did set a date for the baseline's final approval: the last week in July, by which time the European Union (E.U.), which is shouldering 45% of the project's cost, is expected to have sorted out its financial difficulties. June 18, 2010
• "Fusion 'Consolation Prize" Gears Up for Show Time (Science) -In February 2007, Japan and Euratom agreed on a plan for a Broader Approach to fusion energy that includes: a fusion neutron irradiation facility, fusion reactor design activites and a superconducting satellite tokamak.  The project has been initiated and the first buildings were completed on schedule. June 17, 2010
• Funding crisis for nuclear fusion project ITER - A multi-billion euro international research project has run into deep financial trouble as EU governments scramble to find money to meet spiralling costs. However, with European credibility at stake, officials say there is no question of abandoning the project despite the yawning funding gaps. Europe's bill for the France-based ITER project cost estimate has almost trebled, leaving cash-strapped finance ministers to question the merits of the investment. The ITER Council, which governs the project, meets in China on 16-17 June but it is far from certain that Europe will have a clear position on where it will find additional money. The task force set up by research ministers has already met twice this month (June 3 and 5) and could meet twice more in the coming weeks. The issue will also be discussed when diplomats meet in Brussels next month ahead of the next Competitiveness Council in July. Key elements of the ITER Council agenda could be postponed if a deal cannot be reached in the meantime, but diplomats say that unilaterally withdrawing from the international consortium is not an option. (archive file-pdf) June 10, 2010
• A Call to Triple U.S. Spending on Energy Research- WASHINGTON - The United States is badly lagging in basic research on new forms of energy, deepening the nation’s dependence on dirty fuels and crippling its international competitiveness, a diverse group of business executives (ncluding Bill Gates, Norm Augustine)  warn in a study  released Thursday. June 9,  2010
• Financial meltdown imperils reactor- Nature - Faced with a huge budget shortfall, Europe rethinks future of ITER fusion project. Left unresolved, the impasse in Europe will, at best, delay the project further. At worst, it could cause ITER to unravel entirely. May 28, 2010
• No Solution Yet to ITER's Budget Crunch - ScienceInsider - With only a few weeks to go before an important meeting of ITER's governing council, European nations failed at a meeting of the Competitiveness Council yesterday to agree on a way to guarantee funding for the ambitious fusion reactor project. Germany, for one, is not willing to write a blank check for the project and will only commit to covering the 2013 shortfall. May 27, 2010
• America Competes Act would set an Energy Mission for the US Fusion Program - The AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010 was reintroduced on the floor of the House today. By a vote of 262 to 150, legislators authorized $84 billion for research, education, and innovation programs over the next 5 years at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116).  Detailed language regarding US Fusion program activities  May 28, 2010
• New director floated for international fusion reactor Nature News - Osamu Motojima, a distinguished Japanese physicist, is being floated as the project's new chief, Nature has learned. May 6, 2010
• EU Commission Plans for a near tripling of  ITER Construction Cost  - Europa The Commission has adopted a Communication to the European Parliament and the Council which concludes that in view of substantial overall cost increases for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which have more than doubled the costs for Europe (to around €7.2 billion instead of an initial expected €2.7 billion), a sustainable financial framework should be established. Member States should provide a clear financial commitment throughout the life of the project and a mechanism for dealing with any further overruns should be agreed, subject to an overall cap. In particular, a total of around €1.4 billion is needed to meet the estimated cost increases in the EURATOM Community contribution to ITER in 2012 and 2013. This funding should be found either by raising the ceiling in the EU budget or through additional finance directly from the Member States. Given the increased level of maturity of the design and the implementation of costing methodologies that could take into account more detailed data on the project, these estimates are not expected to undergo material variation in the short term. May 6, 2010
• Russian /Italian Collaboration agreement ignites discussion on adding an additional fusion capable facility to Broaden the International Magnetic Fusion Program thereby strengthening the technical basis and accelerating the time scale for a Magnetic Fusion  Demonstration facility. 
• Fusion reactor aims to rival ITER.  But scientists doubt that IGNITOR will lead to fusion power. Nature News April 30, 2010
  
• Russia, Italy to build experimental thermonuclear reactor - VILLA GERNETTO, Italy, April 26 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Ministry of Education and Science and Italy's Ministry of Education, Universities and Research have signed a memorandum on intentions regarding cooperation in the construction of an experimental thermonuclear reactor /tokamak/ and other initiatives in nuclear physics. It envisions the construction of the Ignitor experimental thermonuclear reactor on the Russian territory by experts from both countries. The Ignitor is the latest arrival in the tokamak family of thermonuclear power-generating units. April 26, 2010
• Report Calls for Improvements At Livermore's Giant Laser - A new U.S. government audit of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory says the $4 billion behemoth faces "scientific and technical challenges and management weaknesses." But scientists associated with the project believe that the machine will do great science if Congress gives it a chance to flex its muscles.  April 16, 2010
• National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges for Energy Summit  Duke University- Session on Fusion Energy has talks:  Inertial Fusion Energy by Ed Moses, Magnetic Fusion Energy by Ned Sauthoff, Fusion Power Plant Conssiderations by Farrokj Najmabadi and a panel discussion.  Mar 3-5, 2010
  
• ITER Heads of Delegation Met to Discuss ITER Rebaseline Activity - During the Feb 23-24 meeting, the schedule and its improved risk mitigation measures were presented by the ITER Organization. The Members were pleased to note the progress made, and gave us their full support to move ahead. The next step now will be to present the improved schedule to the Management Advisory Committee (MAC), which will hold an exceptional meeting on 10-11 March in preparation for a possible consensus before the next ITER Council meeting in June. February 26, 2010
• A 20-year Vision for the UK Contribution to Fusion as an Energy Source - UK Research Council releases report on an expert group's assessment of potential of fusion energy. Key Points The science and engineering research challenges ahead to realise fusion as a commercial energy source are major and the timescales are long and uncertain. Fusion is likely to contribute to energy systems after 2050. The potential of fusion energy to contribute as a major component of the future global energy system is sufficiently large that it should be pursued in the UK; this is an area of international excellence in terms of research and skilled people in the UK which is contributing to a global challenge. February 26, 2010
• RCUK position statement on the recent reports regarding the development of a new UK based inertial fusion power station February 26, 2010
• ITER Prepares for Cost and Schedule Rebaselining Report due in February 2010
• US ITER Activities reviewed by DOE Panel headed by Lehman - The review team determined that the US ITER Project Office is efficiently using its available resources to make reasonable progress and provide the U.S. in-kind contributions to the ITER Organization in a timely way. The team found USIPO cost estimates to be near or at the upper limit of the established range, principally due to more risk events, better understanding of uncertainties, improved cost estimates from industry, and changing requirements. February 8, 2010
• Russian Prime Minister Putin meets with Academician Velikhov, celebrate Velikhov's 75th birthday and discuss ITER issues.  February 7, 2010
  
• Interest in reactor cools as construction costs soar :  - europeanvoice.com, Feb 4, 2010 - European governments want to slow down construction of ITER. Other countries involved in the ITER project are, however, strongly opposed to any kind of delay. The countries participating in the ITER project will hold a special high-level meeting on 23-24 February to try to resolve the dispute.  February 7, 2010
• European ITER Manager Sacked:  Softpedia - Officials want the project back on track February 6, 2010
• Delays prompt reshuffle at ITER fusion project - in an effort to put the world's largest scientific experiment back on track after delays and cost overruns, Europe is shaking up the agency overseeing its portion of the multinational ITER reactor. NatureNews February 5, 2010 February 5, 2010
• President's Budget Request for FY 2011 of $3.8 trillion (10.6%) of the GDP was released today. 
• DOE Budget Request for FY 2011 is $31.165 billion including ARRA funding, up 7.8% from $28.915 billion in Fy 2010.
• Secretary Chu's presentation of FY 2011 budget rollout
• DOE FY 2011 Budget Highlights  February 3, 2010
• Detailed DOE FY 2010 Budget justifications - it is all here
  
• DOE Office of Science request for FY 2011 is $5.121 billion up, 4.4% from FY 2010
• Office of Science Budget Rollout Presentation - Brinkman  February 2, 2010
• Office of Science Budget Request detailed justification
  
• DOE Office of Basic Energy  Sciences request  is $1.835 billion, up 12.1% from FY 2010 
  
• DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences request  is $0.380 billion, down 10.8% from FY 2010
• Fusion FY 2011 Budget Rollout
  
• Fusion FY 2011Budget Request Detailed Justification
  
• DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) request for FY 2011 - Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign would receive $482 M, compared to $442 M in FY 2009 and $458 M in FY2010. The NNSA "Science Campaign" would receive $365 M, compared to $316 M in FY 2009 and $295 in FY 2010.(from Fusion Power Associates)
• DOE NNSA Budget Detail Justification
• Ignition and High Yield Campaign Detailed Justification
• Advanced Simulation and Computation Campaign Detailed Justification
  
• News Items related to FY 2011 Budget
• FY 2011 Department of Energy Office of Science Request - sends a message to ITER.  AIP FYI  February 3, 2010
• FY 2011 President's Budget Submitted to Congress - Fusion Power Associates
  
• Energy Science Gets a Boost, But No Joy for ITER - Science Insider
  
• LHC to Run at Half-Energy, Tightening Race for Higgs - The world’s highest energy atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), will run at half its maximum energy through 2011 and likely not at all in 2012.  Science Insider Feb 2, 2010. posted Feb 4, 2010
  
• Are the world's helium reserves sufficient to support magnetic fusion energy?  The NRC released a report "SELLING THE NATION’S HELIUM RESERVE"  as a follow up to the NRC's prior report "The Impact of Selling the Federal Helium Reserve" issued in 2000.  An article appeared in this weeks Science and another in  Physics World expressing concern about the availability of helium for scientific applications in the future.   For a discussion of helium resources and fusion helium needs see DEMO and the Route to Fusion Power -D Stork  February 1, 2010
• Test Shots Show Laser-Fusion Experiment is on Target - First experiments on NIF with laser energies in the MJ range are encouraging.  Science 29 January 2010, January 28, 2010
• Symmetric Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions at Ultra-High Laser Energies - early experimental results from NIF - Science Express Reports  online 28 January 2010 January 28, 2010
• Research Needs for Fusion-Fission Hybrids - Report of the Research Needs Workshop (ReNeW) held Sept 30-Oct 2, 2009.  Additional information is available at the Fusion-Fission Workshop web site.  January 26, 2010
• US Federal Budget for FY 2011 will be released on February 1, 2010.  January 20, 2010
• Nuclear Fusion has just published online  a Special Issue: Fifty Years of Fusion Research and the Road to Fusion Energy containing eight overview papers from the 2008 Fusion Energy Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.  December 30, 2009
• 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15)  Copenhagen, December 7-18, December, 2009. December 7, 2009
• It's All about Energy - one person's view of 12 alternate energy sources
• Tuesday, 15 December, the European Commission is chairing a panel discussion on low-carbon technologies. Sir David King will speak about fusion.
  
• Fusion Energy: Status and Prospects – Thirty-Year Anniversary Meeting and Symposium of Fusion Power Associates was held Dec 2-3, 2009 in Washington, DC.  A total of 37 presentations were made including comments from Congressman Rush Holt, DOE Under Secretary for Science Steven Koonin and Adam Rosenberg, staff for Committee on Science and Technology.  December 6, 2009
• Japan Science Programs Threatened by Budget Cuts
  
• Japan  budget threat sparks backlash – Nature,  In the last few days of the working-group hearings, which ended on 27 November, the groups gave full support to a prototype Japanese–European fusion reactor, part of the international ITER atomic-fusion project, in line with the Hatoyama administration's enthusiasm for developing new energy sources and green technology.  December 1, 2009
• Japanese science faces deep cuts -  The government's election promises vowed more support for science, but so far budgets look set to shrink. Nature  462, 258-259 (2009) November 17, 2009
• ITER Council Meeting concludes
• Schedule Concerns Delay ITER’s Go-Ahead -The scientific and engineering team building the ITER fusion reactor failed to win an expected endorsement from the project's governing council last week. Science  November 27, 2009
  
• EU Puts the Brakes on Fusion Project- Firing up ITER in 2018 is not feasible ,warn council delegates, Nature News November 19, 2009
• ITER Fusion Reactor Faces New Delay - ScienceInsider
• ITER Implements Global Procurement & Manufacturing-Project  Report summary, Press Release
  
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• ITER prepares for a series of high level meetings this month to assess progress toward rebaseling the Construction Cost and Schedule
• ITER Blueprints Near Completion, But Financial Hurdles Lie Ahead - Science November 12, 2009
  
• EU Competitiveness Council (Oct 15-16) discussed "expected cost overruns on the international ITER. " October 27, 2009
• Commission Reports Status of ITER to Competitiveness Council, 25 September 2009 October 27, 2009
• Fusion delays sow concern Nature October 13, 2009
• The House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment (video rebroadcast) held a hearing on The Next Generation of Fusion Energy Research (Transcript)  on October 29, 2009.  Submitted testimony by Ed Synakowski(pdf), Stewart Prager(pdf), Thom Mason(pdf), Riccardo Betti(pdf) and Ray Fonck(pdf). October 30, 2009
• Research Needs Workshop for Magnetic Fusion Energy Science - final report has been issued.  This Report presents a portfolio of research activities for US research in magnetic fusion for the next two decades, and is intended as community input to the Office of Fusion Energy Science's preparation of a new strategic plan for the US Fusion Program.  September 4, 2009 NEW
• FY 2010 Fusion Budget Action - US House and Senate markup the Appropriation Bills that fund fusion research. July 9, 2009
• ITER Council met in Japan June 17-18, 2009 amid concerns about increased construction cost, Press Release.
  
• ITER Gets the Nod for Slower, Step-by-Step Approach Science June 25, 2009
  
• ITER Council approves 3 Year delay of first DT operation  reports Physics World June 18, 2009
• ITER falters under soaring costs BBC News June 16, 2009
• Tokamak Experiment News
  
• MIT Tokamak demonstrates a technique that could make a fusion plasmas easier to confine.  Physics Today June 18, 2009
• Firing Up Fusion - PPPL Carves Out a New Role, pdf copy, Princeton Alumni Weekly June 10, 2009
• Symposium on Fusion Engineering (SOFE 23) is being held June 1-4, 2009
• Laser Direct Drive: Scientific Advances, Technical Achievements, and the Road to Fusion Energy - John Sethian, Naval Research Laboratory June 2, 2009
• The Physics and Technology Basis of ITER and its Mission on the Path to Demo - Guenter Janeschitz, ITER Organization June 1, 2009
• Progress in FusionMaterials Research - Steve Zinkle, Oak Ridge National Laboratory June 2, 2009
• Historical Perspectives and Pathways to an Attractive Power Plant, Farrokh Najmabadi, University of California at San Diego June 2, 2009
• 50 Years of Fusion Research - Dale Meade, Fusion Innovation Research and Energy®, June 1, 2009
• National Ignition Facility, the world's most powerful laser was dedicated May 29, 2009.  Campaign to achieve D-T fusion ignition planned for 2010. Laser and NIF Technical Symposium recounts development of lasers and history of NIF.
• Lasers and Inertial Confinement Fusion  in the United States,  Robert McCrory, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics May 29, 2009
• Inertial Fusion Energy in Japan, H. Azechi Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University May 31, 2009
• The Hoped-for Laser Miracles, NY Times editorial, May 28, 2009
• In Hot Pursuit of Fusion (or Folly) -NY Times, W. Broad  May 25, 2009
• ITER to be Delayed - according to Nature News May 28, 2009
• President's Budget for FY 2010 has been released
• Overall US Federal Budget for FY 2010 submitted by the President to Congress May 7, 2009
• DOE Budget Overview May 7, 2009
• NNSA includes Inertial Fusion Confinement (NIF)
  
• Office of Science Budget - very informative, lots of new projects
• Office of Fusion Energy Sciences Program Description/funding,  and an overview summary
  
• Holdren Brings More Than Energy to His Role as Science Adviser- Science Magazine April 17. 2009 April 21, 2009
• National Ignition Facility Readies for Ignition Campaign  - Science Magazine April 17, 2009 April 21, 2009
• Bill Brinkman to be nominated for Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy - Dr.William F. Brinkman is currently a Senior Research Physicist in the Physics Department at Princeton University. He retired as Vice President of Research from Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ. April 17, 2009
• The energy challenge is "more difficult than putting a man on the moon," John Holdren '65, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said at the MIT Clean Energy Forum. He said that in addition to other technologies,  "We need to see if we can make fusion work.....At that time (1965) people thought fusion was 15 years away, now people think it's 40 or 50 years away, we need to shrink that time scale again by making the investments in that domain". MIT hosted the Energy Forum "Clean Power: Building a New Clean Energy Economy " on April 13, 2009  (video of complete forum)   April 15, 2009
• US Fusion Community held the first round of Research Needs Workshops (ReNeW) during March, 2009. A large number of White Papers and presentations were made at workshops on five themes: Achieving and Understanding Burning Plasmas in ITER, Creating Predicatble High-Performance Steady-State Burning Plasmas, Taming the Plasma Wall Interface, Harnessing the Power of Fusion and Optimizing Magnetic Configurations.  posted April 4, 2009
  
• Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $1.2 billion in new science funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for major construction, laboratory infrastructure, and research efforts sponsored across the nation by the DOE Office of Science. - DOE Press Release March 23, 2009
• President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Dr. Steven E. Koonin, Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy, March 23, 2009
• The next Really Cool Thing - Inertial Fusion, Thomas Friedman, March 23, 2009
• New Facility Propels Korea to the Fusion Forefront -( Science Feb 20, 2009) - Using innovative niobium tin superconducting magnets that should confine plasmas for minutes rather than seconds, the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Reactor (KSTAR). is poised to become a premier testbed for fusion research. February 23, 2009
• India can be the largest supplier of tritium for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said on Tuesday. This somewhat surprising, stay tuned for followup information. February 17, 2009
• Confirmation Hearing for John Holdren as President's Science Advisor (Director of OSTP) - opening statement and webcast of hearing (starts at 34:15) February 14, 2009
• Conference Report on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $789 Billion Stimulus Plan contains "$1.6 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which funds research in such areas as climate science, biofuels, high-energy physics, nuclear physics and fusion energy sciences – areas crucial to our energy future."  ...  There are no earmarks or pet projects in this Act. February 12, 2009
• Dr Steven Chu (statement) appears before Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (webcast) on his nomination for Secretary of Energy January 16, 2009
• Fusion history beyond the fiascos - Nature Jan 15, 2009, the book "Sun in a Bottle by Charles Seife is reviewed by Jean Jacquinot. January 16, 2009
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill approved by House Appropriations Committee - included for the Department of Energy is $1.9 billion for basic research into the physical sciences including high-energy physics, nuclear physics, and fusion energy sciences and improvements to DOE laboratories and scientific facilities. $400 million is for the Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy to support high-risk, high-payoff research into energy sources and energy efficiency.  January 15, 2009
• Princeton University Awarded Five Year Contract to Manage the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. January 15, 2009
  
• Harvard physicist John P. Holdren, a leading authority on global warming and a past president of the nation's largest organization of scientists, will be nominated President-elect Barack Obama's science adviser, according to variou media sources. Obama is expected to announce the appointment Saturday during his weekly radio address. Holdren, who was an adviser to the Obama campaign, is a professor of environmental policy and director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and also is director of the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, and a past-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. December 10, 2008
  
• Physicist Steven Chu to be nominated for Secretary of Energy by President-elect Obama - CNBC.com, 10 Dec 2008, 05:15 PM ET - Obama also will name Lisa Jackson, currently a New Jersey environmental official, as EPA administrator and Carol Browner, a former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, as energy "czar" reporting to the President. Browner, a principal at global strategy firm The Albright Group, heads Obama's advisory team on energy and the environment. December 10, 2008
• Fusion Energy: Countdown to Ignition and Gain, Fusion Power Associates 29th Annual Meeting, December 3-4, 2008 Livermore CA. December 30, 2008
• 3rd ITER Council Meeting Meeting November 19-20 - The progress report from the Briscoe Review Panel, set up by the Council at its last meeting, made recommendations for the establishment of a well-founded cost and schedule baseline as well as effective management systems. It recommended a more integrated approach involving stronger cooperation between the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies.  Five Procurement Arrangements totalling 414.5 million Euros were signed at the meeting. November 23, 2008
• 22nd IAEA Fusion Energy Conference was held in Geneva CH at the site of the original Second UN Conference on  Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1958 that marked the declassification of Magnetic Fusion. A number of presentations have been collected.  November 1, 2008
• 2008 Program,  and Preprints of Papers
  
• 50 years in Fusion and the Way Forward- Jean Jacquinot, CEA, France presentation
  
• Nuclear Fusion paper - Jacquinot
  
• ITER on the road to fusion energy - Nuclear fusion Paper - Ikeda, ITER
  
• Summary Talk on  Innovative Confinement Concepts, Operational Scenarios, and Confinement - Tony Taylor, General Atomics, USA
• Summary Talk on Stability, Wave-plasma interactions, Current drive, Heating, Energetic particles, Plasma-material interactions, Divertors, Limiters, SOL- Osamu Motojima, NIFS, JA
  
• Evening Session: 50-year Anniversary of Fusion Research (the papers for this session have been published in a Special Issue of Nuclear Fusion)
  
• 50Years of Magnetic Confinement Fusion Research -A Retrospective, 16 page Booklet, IAEA Staff
  
• Tokamak Foundation in USSR/RUSSIA - Valentin Smirnov, Nuclear Fusion Institute, RRC Kurchatov, Institute, Russian Federation
• Nuclear Fusion paper-Smirnov
  
• Some Highlights of 50 Years of Fusion Research - Dale Meade, FIRE, Princeton, NJ USA
• Nuclear Fusion paper-Meade
  
• Magnetic Fusion Power Development for Global Warming Suppression - Jiangang Li, Institute of Plasma Physics, CAS, China
• Nuclear Fusion paper - Li
  
• Inertial Fusion Power Development Path for Global Warming Suppression - Kunioki Mima, Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Japan
• Nuclear Fusion paper - Mima
• 1958 - 2nd Geneva Conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy - Program and Selected Papers
• Report of the EU Fusion Facilities Review Panel October 2008 - "R&D Needs and Required Facilities for the Development of Fusion as an Energy Source"  - In December 2007 the European Commission established an independent Panel for a review of the R&D visions and the required facilities of the European fusion programme. This review which is stipulated by the EURATOM FP7 Specific Programme on Fusion Research has the “motivations to support the rapid and efficient development of fusion as an energy source and to maintain in the programme the facilities needed to fulfil its medium and long term objectives”. A vision of the R&D required to make fusion energy production ready for commercial exploitation shall be developed and all significant facilities, existing or under construction including proposed or considered upgrades, shall be reviewed. The required facilities should be incorporated in a road map; and prioritised according to the corresponding benefits, costs and risks. October 21, 2008
• Large Hadron Collider First Beam: Sept 10, 2008 - Robert Aymar Director General of CERN(and former Director of ITER) led the final push to complete the world's largest accelerator, LHC.  With the completion of the LHC and beginning the construction of ITER, Europe is now the undisputed world leader in Big Science. September 11, 2008
• Ray Fonck completes assignment as Associate Director for the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Science (July 31, 2008) - Professor Ray Fonck is returning to the University of Wisconsin, as DOE begins the search for a replacement. July 31, 2008
• U.S. Participation in International Fusion Research Needs Stable Funding National Academy of Sciences Report - To date, U.S. plans for participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project have been effective and well thought out, says a new National Research Council report. However, funding uncertainties cast doubt on U.S. commitment to this international collaboration. Stable U.S. funding is needed to effectively plan for participation in ITER, to benefit from coming fusion energy research, and to take part in future international scientific collaborations.  (pdf) July 29, 2008
•  Independent assessment of the resource estimates for ITER construction is underway - An international review panel headed by Frank Briscoe will review the cost estimates for ITER Council and will report their results to the ITER Management Advisory Council meeting in October 2008. July 29, 2008
• Stewart Prager chosen to be next Director of PPPL - Stewart Prager, director of the Madison Symmetric Torus experiment at the University of Wisconsin and an internationally recognized leader in the field of fusion energy research, has been named director of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), effective this fall. July 18, 2008
• KSTAR achieves first plasma milestone - (July 15, Korea) This major achievement is the first success story on the operation of a superconducting fusion research device using Nb3Sn magnets, the same superconducting magnet technology as ITER.  Korea has now become one of the leading countries in world fusion research by operating a prominent experimental facility to support preparation for ITER Operation. Photographic sequence of KSTAR plasma discharge.  July 14, 2008
  
• SKorean fusion reactor takes step forward: scientists AFP July 15, 2008
• Korea a Step Closer to Ultimate Energy Source The Korea Times July 15, 2008
  
• SKorean fusion reactor takes step forward: scientists PhysicOrg July 15, 2008
• DOE issues Request for Proposal (RFP) to award a contract for the management and operation of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). July 4, 2008 
• ITER Project to receive $15.5M of the $62.5M approved for the Ofice of Science in the Supplemental Appropriations Bill for FY2008.  Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason said Wednesday the supplemental funding will be used to keep the U.S. team together and sustain operations until the 2009 budget is approved. July 3, 2008
• ITER Costs Give Partners Pause – Last week, ITER scientists revealed a new cost estimate for the multibillion-dollar fusion reactor that was 30% higher than earlier calculations. Now the project’s seven international partners must decide whether they can afford it.  Science June 26, 2008 June 26, 2008
• US Congressional Action on Fusion Appropriations for FY 2008 and FY2009
  
• US House of Representatives Supplemental Appropriations Bill for FY 2008 prevents staff layoffs and furloughs at Office of Science Labs but does not explicitly provide help for ITER. June 21, 2008
• The Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee passed their FY09 Energy and Water Development funding bill.  "the Department is directed to provide the Committee with a report no later than March 1, 2009 which describes a bold, credible plan for a world-leading U.S. fusion program as this area becomes an increasingly international endeavor."  June 23, 2008
• ITER Council Meeting on June 17-18 in Aomori, Japan to hear report on ITER Design Review -
• ITER Gains Momentum - Official Press release from the ITER Council meeting,  The Council approved the new Project Specification proposed by the ITER Organization.  The Council also agreed, for planning purposes, to the revised Overall Project Schedule with a target date of 2018 for first plasma. A delay of two years relative to the previous first plasma date. The Council received the revised Project Plan and Resource Estimates from the ITER Organization, and agreed that the resource estimates should be independently assessed by an international group of experts.  June 17-18, 2008 June 18, 2008
• Design Changes Will Increase ITER Reactor's Cost - Science June 12, 2008, June 12, 2008
• Fusion reactor faces cost hike according to unofficial information, Nature June 12, 2008, June 12, 2008
• ORNL Stellarator - Death of a Dream,  Knoxville News Sentinel June 12, 2008
• DOE announces Cancellation of Princeton Fusion Experiment- DOE Under Secretary Ray Orbach told Princeton University officials today that DOE is closing the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) construction project. May 22, 2008
• Princeton fusion experiment axed Knoxville News Sentinel, May 21, 2008
• Energy Department Pulls Plug on Overbudget Fusion Experiment, Science, May 29. 2008
• PPPL to phase out compact stellarator experiment, upgrade spherical torus program, Princeton University, May 22, 2008
• U.S. orders shutdown of fusion energy project at Forrestal,  Princeton Packet, June 3, 2008
  
• US stellarator aborted Physics Today, July 3, 2008
  
• Nobel laureates urge President Bush to request emergency supplemental FY 08 funding of at least $310 million for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science; $170 million for the National Science Foundation; and $30 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to avoid damage to basic science research in the US.  This would include funds to support the US committment for the construction of ITER. May 9, 2008
• America’s Energy Future a two-day workshop (March 13-14) hosted by NAS and NAE had presentations by U.S. government officials and leading energy experts. The event will inform the ongoing study “America’s Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks, and Tradeoffs.”   March 15, 2008, posted April 9, 2008
• National Academy of Engineering releases report on Grand Challenges for Engineering - Fourteen Grand Challenges have been identified including provide energy from fusion. February 23, 2008
• AAAS Annual Meeting Science and Technology from a Global Perspective Feb 14-18, 2008, Boston MA  
• Progress in Magnetic Fusion Energy Research: 50 Years of International Collaboration and Future Prospects - Symposium organized by M. Porkolab (MIT Cambridge, MA) and B. Ripin (Research Applied, Bethesda, MD)
  
• Fusion Research: 50 Years of International Scientific Collaboration - Evgeny P. Velikhov, Kurchatov Institute, Russian Federation February 20, 2008
• Fusion Power, and Who Needs It? An Updated Assessment - Predhiman Kaw, Institute of Plasma Research, India
• U.S. International Collaboration in Fusion Research and Participation in the ITER Project - Raymond Fonck, U.S. Department of Energy
• International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA): A paradigm for international collaboration in science - Ron Stambaugh, General Atomics, USA
• Advances in Technology To Realize Fusion Energy in the International Context - Kathryn McCarthy, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
• Strengthening and Accelerating the Development of Fusion Energy - Chris Llewellyn Smith, UKAEA, Culham, UK
  
• High-Powered Lasers: Fusion Ignition and Concomitant Scientific Opportunities - Symposium organized by Richard N Boyd, LLNL and Karl van Bibber, LLNL 
• Basics of Inertial Confinement Fusion - John Lindl, LLNL, USA February 20, 2008
• OMEGA Extended Performance Laser System Project - Robert McCrory, University of Rochester, USA
• National Ignition Facility: Ushering in a New Era for Experimental Science - Edward Moses,  LLNL, USA
• Fast Ignition Realization Experiment Project - Hiroshi Azechi, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
• High-Power Laser for Energy Research Project - Mike Dunne, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom
• High Energy Density Science with High-Powered Lasers - Raymond Jeanloz, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
  
• President's budget for FY 2009 has been released. DOE's budget is proposed at $24,725M slightly up from the FY 2008 estimate of $24,501M. The DOE Office of Science budget for FY 2009 is proposed at $4,722M up from FY 2008 estimate of $3,973 M by 18.8%.  The US ITER budget for FY 2009 is proposed at $214M up from the FY 2008 estimate of $10.6M.  The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign budget for FY 2008 is $470M and $421M is proposed for FY 2009.  February 4, 2008
• Analysis of Science Budgets in President's 2009 Proposal - ScienceNOW February 5, 2008 
• National Nuclear Security Administration (including Inertial Fusion) February 4, 2008 
• Office of Science Budget Request details includes fusion details  February 4, 2008
• Overview of Science Budget Orbach VG    February 4, 2008
• Summary of Fusion Orbach- 2 VG  February 4, 2008
• Summary of Fusion Energy Sciences Fonck VG  February 5, 2008
  
• Overview of Science and Fusion FY 2009 Budgets February 4, 2008
• Overview of DOE FY 2009 Budget  February 4, 2008
• DOE FY 2007 Budget Documentation February 4, 2008
  
• Impact of Omnibus FY 2008 Appropriations Bill on US Science January16, 2008
• Orbach Interview on Impact of Budget Cuts on US Science - ScienceNOW January16, 2008
• DOE Outlines Plan for Near Term Plan for US ITER Participation January11, 2008
• US physics begins to crumble under budget strain, New Scientist January 8, 2008
• The DOE Science Budget section of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill December 18, 2007
  
• Reaction From Capitol Hill to FY 2008 S&T Funding Levels -American Institute of Physics, Jan 5, 2008
• Congressman Ehlers’ Statement on Federal Science Spending, December 21, 2007
• ITER: Looking Back, Looking Ahead - history of FY 2008 budget for fusion. American Institute of Physics, Jan 4, 2008
  
• Statement of APS Divison of Plasma Physics Officers , December 2007
• US Fusion Program Leaders Protest ITER Budget Cuts January 4, 2008
• Energy Project(ITER) Down but not Out, Senator Lamar Alexander Pledges help, January 5, 2008
  
• Statement by Fermi Lab Director on Impact of Budget Cuts, streaming video, Dec 20, 2007
• Durbin, Obama, Biggert Call On Bush Administration To Increase Funding At Fermilab, Dec 21, 2007
  
• "Britain's Sputnik", 50 years ago Britain Announced Breakthrough Results from ZETA - BBC News, January16, 2008
• A History of Britain's Attempts at Nuclear Fusion - Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, January16, 2008
• Budget blow to US science - The DOE Office of Science FY 2008 budget took big hits. Although its total science budget grew 4.6% to $4 billion, most of those increases were for supercomputers and biological research. Congress withheld (all) money for the energy department’s $160-million commitment to ITER, the international fusion reactor in France, and slashed funding for the International Linear Collider (ILC), the next-generation particle accelerator, from $60 million to $15 million. pdf Nature December 24, 2007
• U.S. Wavers Again on ITER - ITER Principal Deputy Director and ITER participants react to dramatic cuts in the US ITER budget for 2008.  ScienceNOW  December 22, 2007
• Congressional Omnibus 2008 Appropriations Bill Zeroes US ITER Funding- The bill set the budget at DOE's Office of Science at $4.055 billion--$342 million short of the requested amount--and the shortfall comes mainly out of two programs: fusion sciences and high-energy physics. Congress realized some savings by allotting nothing for U.S. participation in the international fusion reactor experiment, ITER, which is set to begin construction next year in Cadarache, France (ScienceNOW, 21 November 2006). Although appropriators expressly forbid DOE to shuffle money from other programs to satisfy its planned $149 million contribution in 2008, Marburger predicts that the prohibition will not stand. "I can't see DOE not living up to its obligations," he says. "The department will have to use its money to stay in the project, so [the language] really just amounts to another earmark." ScienceNOW December 19, 2007
• Fusion Power Associates holds Annual Meeting on "Fusion Energy: Preparing for the NIF and ITER Era" at ORNL Dec 4-5, 2007. December 6, 2007
• US National Academy to Review Planning for US Participation in ITER Science - The first meeting of the review panel will be December 14-15, 2007 in Washington, DC.  November 29, 2007
• Historic First ITER Council meeting held in Cadarache November 27-28, 2007 - The ITER Council is the supervisory body of the ITER Organization, responsible for the overall direction of its activities. The Director General and Deputies were formally apointed.  The Director-General reported on the progress of the project since the July 2007 meeting of the Interim ITER Council. Record of Discussion and list of participants can be obtained fron the ITER.  November 28, 2007
• 49th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society, Divison of Plasma Physics highlighted recent progress in fusion research. November 28, 2007
  • Maxwell Prize Address
    • The Development of Indirect Drive ICF and the Countdown to Ignition Experiments on the NIF - J Lindl, NIF, LLNL
  • Review Talks
    • Gyrokinetic Theory and Simulation of Experiments - G. W. Hammett, PPPL
    • Progress in Direct-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion Research - R. L. McCrory, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Plasma Physics Challenges of MM-to-THz and High Power Microwave Generation - J. H. Booske, Univ Wisc, ECE
    • Alfvén Instabilities Driven by Energetic Particles in Toroidal Magnetic Fusion - W. W. Heidbrink, UC Irvine
  • Invited Talks
    • Performance of Direct-Drive Cryogenic Targets on OMEGA - V. N. Goncharov, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics
  • Tutorial Talks
    • Multiscale Physics Challenges for Plasma-Facing Materials - N.M. Ghoniem (UCLA) and B. Wirth (UCB)
    • The Scientific Challenge of Burning Plasmas - J. W. Van Dam, USBPO and IFS Univ of Texas
  • University Fusion Association Meeting
    • Fusion Energy Sciences Program Update - S. Eckstrand, OFES, DOE
      
    • FESAC Planning Panel Report - M. Greenwald, MIT, Plasma Science and Fusion Center
  • ITER Design Review Session (also available at US Burning Plasma Organization web site)
    • The Status of ITER; The ITER Design Review - G. Janeschitz, FZK-PL-Fusion, Karlsruhe, Germany
    • Burning Plasma Organization Input to ITER Design Review - R. J. Hawryluk, PPPL
    • BPO Input to the ITER Design Review for In-vessel Components and Discharge Evolution - R. D. Stambaugh, GA
• GAO submits report on Fusion called for in the conference report accompanying the fiscal year 2006 Energy and Water Development appropriation bill. It requested "The GAO shall consider any other magnetic fusion confinement system as a possible fusion demonstration facility that will follow ITER and, given the NNSA investment in the physics of inertial confinement fusion, the GAO shall evaluate the opportunities for the Office of Science to develop the appropriate science and technology to leverage the NNSA investments as an alternative to the tokamak concept." October 28, 2007
• ITER Project is now a Legal Entity and Open for Business - The International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) is depositary of the ITER Agreement and has confirmed that ITER entered into force today - 30 days after having received the confirmation of adoption of the Agreement from all Parties according to their national laws and practice. The EU, acting on the basis of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, confirmed its adoption of the ITER Agreement to the IAEA on 5 February 2007. The first session of the ITER Council is scheduled for 27 and 28 November 2007. October 24, 2007
• US Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee met October 23-24, 2007 to receive and discuss reports on the Fusion Simulation Project, Research Issues and Gaps for DEMO and NCSX Prorgram. These panel reports are available as drafts and should not be quoted until finalized. October 24, 2007
  • Fusion Simulation Project, - W. Tang, PPPL, Chair
  • Priorities, GAPs and Opportunities Towards a Long Range Strategic Plan for Magnetic Fusion Energy - M Greenwald, MIT, Chair
  • NCSX Program Review - R. Hazeltine, UTexas, Chair
• South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Friday that South Korea will grow into one of the world's top five countries in nuclear fusion energy technology by 2021 and start commercial generation of electricity from nuclear fusion by 2040. KSTAR construction milestone ceremony on September 14th in Daejon, Korea. The design of KSTAR , a fully superconducting advanced tokamak, was initiated in 1995. The KSTAR design is based on the US TPX design, and many featues were modified to make the design suitable for the Korean location. The target date for first plasma is mid 2008. New September 14, 2007
• FESAC Charged to Review the NCSX Project - In response to significant NCSX Project cost over runs and schedule delays, Ray Orbach, DOE Under Secretary for Science has charged the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee to conduct a scientific and programmatic review focused on evaluating the NCSX program and its potential effect on the U.S. fusion energy sciences program. The panel's first meeting will be at PPPL on September 15-16, and the report is due October 23, 2007. New September 12, 2007
• The second meeting of the Interim ITER Council (IIC) took place on 11 and 12 July in Tokyo, under the Chairmanship of Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith, CCE-EU Chairman (EU).The IIC recognized the progress being made and gave direction on a number of specific points, including the plans and detailed staffing and cost estimates for the construction phase, specific aspects of the management system and proposed agreements on relations with French authorities and with other international organizations, the IAEA, and CERN. The IIC also endorsed a proposed partnership arrangement with the Principality of Monaco. July 12, 2007
• The Committee on Appropriations of the U. S. Senate has approved a bill to fund the U. S. Department of Energy in FY 2008 (which begins October 1, 2007). For Fusion Energy Sciences, the Committee recommends, $427,85,000. Key differences in the two bills passed so far are (1) House bill deletes funds requested for High Energy Density Physics but Senate bill endorses program; (2) House bill includes funding for High Average Power Laser program but Senate bill does not. Details of the Senate language can be found at Fusion Power Note - FPN07-40. July 5, 2007
• The Committee on Appropriations of the U. S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to fund the U. S. Department of Energy in FY 2008. The bill provides OFES the full funding requested by the President, but specifies that funds requested for High Energy Density Physics be transferred to other elements of the OFES program. The bill provides NNSA funds for the Naval Research Laboratory ($15M) and High Average Power Lasers ($25M) not requested by the DOE and other increases above the President's request. The complete language of the bill. (use search function for fusion) and summary of fusion related sections(Fusion Power Note 07-035). June 21, 2007
• Nation needs to focus on Plasma Science - The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science should reorient its research programs to promote plasma science research and create a focal point for federal efforts in that field, says a new report from the National Research Council. Breakthroughs in plasma science have the potential to enhance national and economic security, energy production, and general scientific knowledge. The full report is available at the NRC web page Plasma 2010: An Assessment of and Outlook for Plasma Science. May 29, 2007
• Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) Operations Terminated 10 Years ago - The construction of TFTR was started in March 1976 as part of a major US Energy R&D effort in response to the Gulf oil embargo of the mid-1970s. During the 8 year period from 1974 to 1982, the US fusion budget grew from $57M to $461M - an eight fold increase. TFTR was the first of the three large tokamaks (TFTR, JET and JT-60) beginning operation in December 24, 1982. For the next 15 years, TFTR operation defined the frontier of fusion research. In 1996, the US fusion budget was cut 35% forcing a restructuring of the US fusion program that resulted in the premature termination of TFTR on April 4, 1997 after 15 years of operation. TFTR achieved all of the original 1976 technical project goals of: 1. Study plasma physics of large tokamaks, 2. Gain experience with reactor scale engineering, 3. Demonstrate D-T fusion energy production (1 to 10 MJ per pulse), and made numerous contributions including:
  • First magnetic fusion experiment to achieve power plant fuel temperature of 200 million ° C (20 kev) (1986), and ultimately a record 510 million° C (45kev) (1995)
  • First observation of the "bootstrap current" in a tokamak, a self generated current that is the key feature of steady-state tokamak fusion power plants (1986)
  • First direct measurements of long wavelength turbulence that formed the basis for an improved theoretical modeling of turbulence (1990)
  • First magnetic fusion experiment to use fusion power plant fuel mixture of 50% deuterium (D) and 50% tritium (T) (1993)
  • First magnetic fusion experiment to produce fusion power exceeding 10 million watts (1994)
  • Record peak plasma pressure of 6 atm in a D-T plasma, higher than that expected in ITER. (1994)
  • Record fusion power densities of 0.3 million watts per cubic meter comparable to the 0.5 MW/m3 expected in ITER (1994)
  • First experimental observation of the "enhanced reversed shear" confinment mode that is now a key feature of steady-state tokamak power plant concepts. (1994)
  • First demonstration of radio frequency heating of a D-T plasma using second harmonic tritium resonance, 1994.
  • First observation of neoclassical tearing modes that limit output of high performance fusion plasmas (1995)
  • First unambiguous measurements of self-heating by alpha particles in a DT fusion plasma (1995)
  • First demonstration of mode conversion heating in a D-T plasma, 1995.
  • First measurements of instabilities excited by fusion alpha particles (1996).
  • First to identify and quantify the retention of tritium in graphite plasma facing components as a major issue for fusion power plants using trace tritium (1989) and 50/50 DT (1995)
  • First closed cycle processing of tritum on a fusion experiment using 50% deuterium (D) and 50% tritium (T) (Feb 1997)
  • TFTR engineering systems operated above the original design ratings for toroidal field and neutral beam power.
  • About 1 million curies of tritium was handled safely over a three year period during over 1,000 DT experiments.
  • The total cost of the TFTR program (design, construction, operation and decommissioning ) was $1.65 B.
  • The US fusion program expended $2.5 B during the past 10 years. April 4, 2007
• EU Finance Ministers form EU Domestic Agency fo ITER - The European Domestic Agency will be based in Barcelona, Spain and has a budget of ¤9.6 billion. During its 35 year lifetime, it will provide the contribution of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) to the ITER organisation, as well as Euratom's contribution to the 'broader approach' activities with Japan for the rapid realisation of fusion energy. March 29, 2007
• Former Vice President Al Gore testified to a Joint House Science and Commerce Subcommittee meetiing at 10:00 am March 21, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee at 2:30 pm. A video archive is available on the Senate web page and expected to be available on the House or C-SPAN3 web page. New York Times account of Gore testimony. March 21, 2007
• Head of DOE Fusion Energy Science Office Announced - Steenbock Professor of Engineering Physics Raymond Fonck has been named Associate Director for Fusion Energy Sciences and will formally assume the position on March 1. The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) met March 1-2 in Gaithersburg, MD to discuss the proposed FY 2008 budget and the new Charge from DOE Under Secretary Orbach. February 28, 2007
  • Agenda
  • New Charge
  • Presentations
• AAAS President John P. Holdren Urges Swift Action to Build a Sustainable Future at AAAS Annual Meeting on Sustainability - February 18, 2007
• EU Energy Ministers Approve Draft Energy Plan - Plan calls for energy consumption reduction of 20% compared to Commission Green Paper projections for 2020, and a target of a 20 % share of renewable energies in overall EU energy consumption by 2020; This was part of the preparations for the Spring European Council on 8-9 March and a step forward for European energy policy. UK Environmental Minister calls for 30% reduction in harmful gas emissions by 2020. February 18, 2007
• International team releases cost estimate for the International Linear Collider (ILC) - Science Feb 8, 2007 - The total cost of the 35 kilometer long accelerator would be $15B if costed according to US project rules. The draft ILC Reference Design Report 2007 describes details such as cost estimates. Posted February 15, 2007
• Today (February 5, 2007), Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Mr. Hugh Richardson, the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Commission to Japan, signed the Agreement between the Government of Japan and the European Atomic Energy Community for the Joint Implementation of the Broader Approach Activities in the Field of Fusion Energy Research in Tokyo. The Broader Approach is an example of the Multi-Machine Strategy proposed for the past decade in the U.S. February 5, 2007.
• President's budget for FY 2008 has been released. DOE's budget is proposed at $23,043M about the same as the FY 2007 estimate of $23,092M. The DOE Office of Science budget for FY 2008 is proposed at $4,398M up from FY 2007 estimate of $3.605 M. The FY 2008 budget for ITER is $160 M up from $60 M proposed for FY 2007. February 5, 2007.
  • Details of the President's FY 2008 budget for DOE
  • Office of Science FY 2008 budget Overview Vgs
  • Office of Science FY 2008 budget Summary
  • Office of Fusion Energy Science FY 2008 budget Overview Vgs
  • Office of Fusion Energy Sciences FY 2008 Budget detailed description and justification.

  	FY 2007($M) Estimate	FY2008 ($M) Request	Increase ($M)	Increase (%)
  Workforce Development	7	11	4	57.1
  Advanced Computing	236	340	104	44.1
  Basic Energy Sciences	1,199	1499	300	25
  Nuclear Physics	397	471	74	18.6
  Fusion Energy Science	306	428	122	39.9
  High Energy Physics	733	782	49	6.7
  Biology and Environment	473	532	59	12.5
  Science Lab Infrastructure	43	79	36	83.7
  Security and Safeguards	68	71	3	6.9
  Program Direction	164	186	22	13.4
  Office of Science	3,626	4,398	772	21.3

• IPCC 2007 Report Blames Humans for Climate Change -BBC News - Global climate change is "very likely" to have a human cause, an influential group of scientists has concluded. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (Summary Report) said temperatures were probably going to increase by 1.8-4C (3.2-7.2F) by the end of the century. It also projected that sea levels were most likely to rise by 28-43cm, and global warming was likely to influence the intensity of tropical storms. February 2, 2007
• US Science Research severely impacted by FY2007 Appropriations Continuing Resolution
  • House Votes to Increase FY 2007 DOE Science, NSF, NIST Funding February 1, 2007
  • DOE Outlines "Critical Impacts" of Flat Funding on Science and Other Programs AIP January 18, 2007
  • Biggert, Taucher and Holt lead the effort in Congress to restore DOE Office of Science Funding January 18, 2007
  • Congressional Budget Delay Stymies Scientific Research W. Broad, NY Times January 10, 2007
• ITER Organization gets the go-ahead - Nov 21, 2006 Today, Ministers from the seven Parties of the international nuclear fusion project ITER (China, European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States of America) came together to sign the agreement to establish the international Organization that will implement the ITER fusion energy project. The signature took place at a ceremony at the Elysée Palace in Paris and was hosted by the President of the French Republic M. Jacques Chirac and by the President of the European Commission, M. José Manuel Durão Barroso. The signed documents were formally handed over to the representative of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to be deposited with the Director General of the IAEA.The first meeting of the Interim ITER Council takes place at Ministerial level after the signing ceremony, under the chairmanship of Janez Potonik, European Commissioner for Science and Research. This constitutes the first act of the newly established ITER Organization. With the signature of the ITER Agreement and the first Council meeting, the ITER Organization can start its operation on a provisional basis pending the entry into force of the agreement which is expected in the course of 2007. (ITER Project Fact Sheet)
  • Text of ITER Implementing Agreement - posted Jan 2014
    
  • U.S. Signs International Fusion Energy Agreement - DOE Press Release
  • United States Signs International Fusion Energy Agreement - US State Department Nov 25
  • Remarks on behalf of the French Government - Mr Jacques Chirac President of the French Republic Nov 25
  • Remarks on Behalf of the US Government - Dr Raymond Orbach, DOE Under Secretary for Science
  • Remaks on Behalf of the European Commission - Janez Potoãnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research Nov 25
  • Remaks on Behalf of the Chinese Government - Prof. Xu Guanhua, Minister of Science and Technology of China Nov 25
  • Remaks on Behalf of the Japanese Government - Mr. Iwaya, the Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Nov 25
  • ITER Pact Signed in Paris -TASS
  • FRANCE,Six Nations Sign Accord on $12.9 Billion ITER Project - Bloomberg
  • ITER Pact Signed - Reuters
  • States Sign Nuclear Energy Pact - BBC News
  • Q&A: Nuclear Fusion Reactor -- BBC News
  • Our Emperors have no Clothes - Nature Nov 30
  • A White-Hot Elephant - Economist Nov 23 Nov 25
  • ITER Fusion Reactor gets Final Approval - PhysWeb
• ITER Agreement to be signed in Paris on November 21st - On the 21st of November, Ministers from the seven Parties of the international nuclear fusion project ITER (China, European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States of America) will come together to sign the agreement to establish the international Organization that will implement the ITER fusion energy project. The signature will take place at a ceremony at the Elysée Palace in Paris, hosted by the President of the French Republic M. Jacques Chirac and by the President of the European Commission, M. José Manuel Durão Barroso. After the signature ceremony, the first meeting of the Interim ITER Council will take place. (ITER News) November 20, 2006
• Nuclear fusion: A necessary investment - Kaname Ikeda, ITER Director General Nominee November 17, 2006
• 1st ITER PROJECT VENDOR INFORMATION FORUM will be held November 15, 2006 at Museum in Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Tennessee November 9, 2006
• 48th Annual meeting of the APS-DPP being held in Philadelphia Oct 30 - Nov 3. November 2, 2006
  • American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) Town Meeting
    • OSTP Perspective on ACI - Diane Jones, OSTP
    • Rising Above the Gathering Storm - Richard Bissell, NRC
  • Nuclear Fission and Fusion Power Miniconference
    • Nuclear Energy Present and Future - I. Hutchinson
    • Nuclear Energy's Renaissance - A. Kadak
    • Historic Growth and Atrophy of Nuclear Fission, Lessons for Fusion - M. Haynes
    • Key Technological Challenges for Fission Reactors, and what it means for Fusion - D. Petti
    • Prospects for Attractive Fusion Power - F. Najmabadi
    • The Fusion Hybrid - W. Manheimer
    • Fusion Energy - How to realize it Sooner with less Risk - J. Sethian
    • Role of Advanced Fuels and Innovative Concepts - J. Santarius
  • Town Meeting on ITER Progress
    • Status of ITER - N. Holtkamp
    • US ITER Project, Providing a Facility for Burning Plasma Research - N. Sauthoff
    • US Burning Plasma Organization Development - R. Fonck
  • University Fusion Association Annual Meeting
    • UFA Activities - G. Navratil
    • OFES Program - S. Eckstrand
    • US Burning Plasma Organization Development - R. Fonck
• Climate change fight 'can't wait' (BBC) The world cannot afford to wait before tackling climate change, the UK prime minister has warned October 31, 2006
  • Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change -A report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern suggests that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20%.
• 21st Fusion Energy Meeting in Chengdu China Highlights Fusion Progress and Preparation for ITER October 22, 2006
• EAST has successfully achieved the first plasma discharge - Hefei , China - After successful engineering commissioning in March 2006, EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) has achieved first plasma with plasma current up to 220 kA. This has demonstrated that EAST construction has been completed successfully. EAST is the first tokamak in operation with all superconducting coils at mega-ampere scale. It will be a unique facility to explore some critical issues relating to steady-state operation with shaped plasma cross-section in the next few years. September 29, 2006
• European Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research) Council will meet on September 25, 2006 in Brussells to: discuss and attain political agreement on 7th Framework programme, EC (2007-2013), 7th Framework programme, EURATOM (2007-2011) and attain possible political agreement on rules of participation for 7th Framework programme (EC and Euratom) , and possibly decide on the creation of a European legal entity for ITER and Conclusion of an international agreement on implementation of ITER.
  • Council approves conclusion of the ITER international agreement for fusion energy September 25, 2006
  • EU to build experimental fusion reactor September 25, 2006
• Plans for ITER and Supporting Activities presented at the 24th Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT), Warsaw, Poland Sept 11-15 September 14, 2006
  • Status of ITER - N. Holtkamp - (Agreement signing Nov 21, Design Review on Dec 12-15, site prep, organization formation, funding profiles)
  • System engineering and configuration control management in ITER  - P. Barabaschi September 24, 2006
  • EU-JA Broader Approach - S. Matsuda- (funding agreement, IFMIF, JT-60SA)
  • EAST Project Status - S. Wu
  • JT-60SA towards ITER and DEMO relevant plasmas - H. Tamai
  • Review of Nb3Sn conductors for ITER - D. Ciazynski September 18, 2006
  • Status of Wendelstein 7-X Construction F. Schauer September 24, 2006
  • Engineering Challenges in Designing an Attractive Compact Stellarator Power Plant - R. Raffray September 18, 2006
  • Development, simulation and testing of structural materials for DEMO - R. Laesser September 18, 2006
  • Tungsten as First Wall Material in Fusion Devices - M. Kaufmann September 18, 2006
  • The Contribution of Fusion to Sustainable Development - D. Ward September 18, 2006
  • Technology and Plasma Physics Developments needed for DEMO - K. Lackner September 18, 2006
• US ITER Management team has been named (OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 17, 2006) - A team of scientists and engineers has been chosen to manage the United States' role in a multinational project to harness the power of fusion. The US ITER Project plans will be reviewed by DOE September 24-28. The overall ITER project will have a design status/review meeting in mid November. It is anticipated that the ITER parties will sign the ITER Implementing Agreement on November 21, 2006. August 17, 2006
• Reexaming Fusion Power - Three letters to the Editor of Science Magazine and two letters submitted to Science but not published. Posted July 22, 2006
  • Present fusion reactor designs have addressed issues raised by critics according to Professors F. Najmabadi and C. Baker. Submitted March 15, 2006
  • Science critique of fusion not based on most recent fusion power plant designs, says Fusion Power Associates President. Submitted March 15, 2006
  • Fusion Power: Will It Ever Come? -Science - The practicality of fusion power engineering is challenged posthumously by W. Parkins in a replay of the 1996-1997 debates on fusion and ITER. see March 9, 2006
• ITER Deputy Directors Nominated at ITER Preparatory Committee (IPC) meeting at Cadarache on July 13. The IPC approved the proposal from the ITER Director General nominee Ikeda for nominees to fill ITER Deputy Director positions. The nominees for ITER Deputy Directors (Photos) are: Carlos ALEJANDRE (DDG for Safety and Security ) EU/Spain, Valery Alekseevich CHUYANOV (DDG for Fusion Science and Technology) RF, WANG Shaoqi (DDG for Administration) CN, Gary Johnson (DDG for Tokamak) US,Yong Hwan KIM (DDG for Central Engineering and Plant Support) KO and Dhiraj BORA (DDG for CODAC, Heating & Current Drive System and Diagnostics) IN. and (Press Release and Resume)The next major milestone is to authorize the project when the parties "sign" the ITER Implementing Agreement in the November 2006 time frame. July 13, 2006
• EU's 7th framework Budget has been settled and the EU fusion program budget (2007-2013) is 1.947 BEuro. This framework fusion budget is about twice the previous framework's budget. Roughly 50% of the community budget is for ITER construction; This budget will cover both ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and Broader Approach (JT-60SA, IFMIF-EVEDA, IFERC). The overall program is called "European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy". July 6, 2006
• FY 2007 Budget for fusion passed by Senate Appropriations Committee -Press release with emphasis on NNSA "For Fusion Energy Sciences, the Committee recommends $307,001,000. This program advances plasma science, fusion science, and fusion technology through collaborations among U.S. universities, industry and national research laboratories, and the international fusion community. Consistent with Budget descriptions, the Committee has shifted $11,949,000 provided for High Energy Density Science to the new office within the Department of Energy." July 1, 2006
• The European Parliament adopts second report on the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear research and training activities (2007-2011) with 457:97:22 votes). The overall budget of this programme will be ¤2751 million, compared to the original Commissions proposal of ¤3,092 million. Euratom indirect actions are managed by the Commission's Directorate-General for Research (DG RTD). The specific programmes allocates EUR 1,947 million to research into fusion energy and EUR 287 million for nuclear fission and radiation protection. EUR 517 million are reserved for nuclear activities of the JRC. July 1, 2006
• ITER Director General Nominee Describes Plans for ITER at European Physics Conference June 22, 2006
• US White House Report on 2006 U.S.-EU Summit - Joint cooperation on energy security has started with the aim of improving reliability of energy supplies by increasing diversification, making better use of renewable energy sources, using energy more efficiently and cooperating to encourage improved energy security policies in third countries. The U.S. and EU have held four joint workshops on energy technologies, efficiency and alternative fuels. An agreement on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor was initialed in May 2006 and will be signed at the Fall ITER Ministerial meeting. June 22, 2006
• ITER pioneers receive prestigious Russian energy prize On the 13 June in Saint Petersburg, three pioneers of the international fusion project ITER received the Russian prize Global Energy from Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. The laureates ‚ Russian academician Evgeniy Velikhov, Japanese Dr. Masaji Yoshikawa and French Dr. Robert Aymar, received the award for their contributions to the development of the scientific and technological foundation of the ITER project. June 13, 2006
• European Commission presents Final report on ITER negotiations for Council decision June 10, 2006
• US Physicists Persevere In Quest For Inexhaustible Energy Source The largest fusion-energy experiment ever conducted, ITER is the culmination of years of research by scores of scientists, and is poised to answer long-standing questions about the real-world viability of fusion energy. Science Daily May 31, 2006
• ITER Parties Initial Joint Implementing Agreement. With this major milestone passed, each of the Parties will submit the Agreement and related documents to their respective authorities in order to secure the authorisation to sign the Agreement. A process the Parties' representatives said they hoped "will be completed by the end of 2006 so that actual construction can start in 2007." May 24, 2006
  • Europa Press Release and Participants - Photo
  • Remarks on Behalf of the US Government - Dr. Ray Orbach, Director Office of Science
  • Agreement Moves ITER Forward - Physics Today July 2006
    • CERN chief rethinks LHC fees -The introduction of a fee to use the LHC is viewed in the US as breaking a deal and opening the floodgates to an unwelcome new paradigm for accessing scientific facilities. (Webmaster note: this is a core issue for the US Congress and could undermine the ITER agreement) Physics Today July 2006
  • Fusion reactor work gets go-ahead - BBC News
  • Nations Agree to Build Fusion Reactor - Washington, Post, AP
  • Seven Nation Group to Pursue Fusion Energy Research Voice of America
  • United States and International Partners Initial ITER Agreement Paves the Way for Large-Scale, Clean Fusion Energy Project, US DOE
  • World's most expensive science experiment - ABC News
  • EU signs ITER deal - Greens Protest- EU Politix
  • ITER -Frequently Asked Questions - Europa
  • EU, U.S., Russia, Asian States Sign Nuclear-Fusion Reactor Pact - Bloomberg News
• Chaos could keep fusion under control A leaky magnetic bottle may prove key to making a reactor. Geoff Brumfiel Nature. May 22, 2006
  • Fusion reactor shows its metal, AFP, ABC Science Online
  • Nuclear fusion plasma problem tackled - Kurt Kleiner , New Scientist
  • Edge stability and transport control with resonant magnetic perturbations in collisionless tokamak plasmas. T. Evans et al, Nature
• Critics pounce on bubble-fusion blunder Nature May 17, 2006
• The new Chinese tokamak, EAST, world's first all superconducting tokamak completes engineering tests. Plasma tests to begin this summer. China is breaking new ground with a fusion test bed that will tide researchers over until the ITER megaproject comes online. Science May 19, 2006
• ITER Implementing Agreement to be Initialed by Ministers of the seven ITER Parties on May 24, 2006 in the European Commission's Berlaymont building in Brussels. May 18, 2006
• FY 2007 Budget for fusion passed by House Appropriations Committee - The Committee provided the full amount requested for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, including full funding for the first year of ITER construction, and provided substantial funds above the President's request for inertial confinement fusion. May 18, 2006
• The 8th Meeting of the ITER Preparatory Committee took place 26/27th April in Goa, with India hosting and chairing for the first time. The meeting addressed how to prepare for the practical implementation of the ITER Joint Implementation Agreement, to be initialed by the Parties' Government representatives on May 24th in Brussels. Posted May 4, 2006
• Opportunities for Fundamental Research and Breakthrough in Nuclear Fusion - As part of its evaluation of the area of Advanced Nuclear Technologies, the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University held a one-and-a-half-day workshop May 1–2, 2006 at Princeton, NJ on fusion energy. This workshop focused on some fundamental scientific research in the fields of magnetically confined plasmas and materials for fusion.  May 3, 2006
  
• Iranian Claims to be Building Thermonuclear Reactor are Untrue According to Russian Expert - Izvestia 10 April 2004 April 14, 2006
• ITER Principal Deputy Director General Nominee Named - The representatives for the parties participating in ITER accepted the EU's proposal to designate Dr Norbert Holtkamp as nominee Principal Deputy Director-General of the prospective ITER Organization. Dr Holtkamp is currently director of the Accelerator Systems Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee (USA). With the appointment of Kaname Ikeda as nominee Director-General in November 2005, the top management team of the prospective ITER Organization is now complete. Common message from the 6th Preparatory meeting for ITER decision making. April 1, 2006
• Physics World highlights EU Progress on Preparations for ITER incuding interview with incoming Director General Ikeda and JET plans to address ITER R&D issues.March 16, 2006
• EU Commission issues Green Paper on Energy -A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy. Energy ministers begin debate on EU Energy policy.March 15, 2006
• Fusion Power: Will It Ever Come? -Science - The practicality of fusion power engineering is challenged posthumously by W. Parkins in a replay of the 1996-1997 debates on fusion and ITER. March 9, 2006
  • The Fusion Hybrid as a Response the Paper by Parkins - W Manheimer Feb 9, 2007
  • Science critique of fusion not based on most recent fusion power plant designs, says Fusion Power Associates President March 15, 2006
  • Fusion Power gets slammed - Nature -Fusion reactors are an expensive dream that will never provide economical energy. But supporters say arguments about reactor costs are old hat. March 10, 2006
  • No Future for Fusion Power, says top scientist - New Scientist - Advocates of the technology insist it is too soon to give up, and that great progress has been made. March 10, 2006
  • Technical Response to Criticisms of Magnetic Fusion W. Stacey, Professor of Nuclear Egnieering, Georgia Institue of Technology
• Office of Science submits Five Year Plan to Congress March 6, 2006
  • Office of Science Overall Plan Fusion increases from $319M in FY2007 to $427M in FY2008, and $494M in Fy2009.
  • Office of Fusion Energy Breakout
• European Parliament and Council Clash again over EU Budget - Although a budget deal was made by the Heads of State and Government at the December European Council, the agreement was rejected by the Parliament. 'The Council cuts mean a reduction of 50 per cent, compared to what Parliament proposed.Failure to agree on a budget for the EU as a whole has implications for programmes such as the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for research (FP7), which will not be implemented on time if the budget cannot been set. March 2, 2006
• US Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) is meeting to review US preparations for participation in ITER. March 1, 2006
• New Chinese All Superconducting Coil Experiment plans first plasma for July 2006 - China has provided the project, dubbed the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), with an investment of 165 million yuan (about 20 million U.S. dollars). March 1, 2006
• US ITER Project Office (USIPO) invites individuals and institutions to nominate US candidates for ITER Deputy Director General (DDG) and other positions on the International Team and on the USIPO Team. Additional information is on the US IPO web page. February 27, 2006
• Japan to Reward South Korea with Construction contracts for ITER Support (AFP) -The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported that Japan has decided to give 20 percent, or about 11 billion yen (93 million dollars), worth of its ITER construction orders to the South Koreans. February 27, 2006
• Accelerator Delay Stuns U.S. Scientists - The Rare Isoptope Accelerator (RIA) ranked third in the DOE Scientific Facilities priority list will be delayed 5 years. Science February 24, 2006
• US Fusion Community carries message to Congress during Fusion Day February 16, 2006 - "We strongly support the decision by the President and the Secretary of Energy to proceed with ITER in collaboration with international partners as the critical next-step towards the development of fusion energy.." The University Fusion Association comprised of 33 Universities warned "However, the Administration's proposed budget for FY2007 would make broad cuts in university research programs seriously damaging U.S. capabilities to benefit from ITER."
  • Fusion Power Associates Notice FPN06-16 February 17, 2006
  • University Fusion Association Position Paper February 17, 2006
  • Large Fusion Program Directors Position Paper February 17, 2006
• European Commission Discusses Implementation of the European Legal Entity for ITER -S. Chatzipanagiotou EU Commission
  • European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy February 15, 2006
  • Personnel needs for ITER and the European Joint Undertaking for ITER February 15, 2006
• DOE Budget for FY 2007 has been released (full budget) February 6, 2006
  • OSTP FY 2007 Budget Presentation - John Marburger February 8, 2006
  • Fusion Energy Sciences FY 2007 Budget Detail
  • Fusion Sciences FY 2007 Budget Presentation - Anne Davies
  • Office of Science FY 2007 Budget Presentation - Ray Orbach
  • Office of Science FY 2007 Budget Detail (includes Magnetic Fusion)
  • Nuclear Power Initiative (follow links for more detail)
  • Nuclear Energy FY 2007 Budget Detail
  • NNSA Weapons Activities FY 2007 Budget (includes Inertial Fusion and NIF)
  • DOE Budget Highlights February 8, 2006
  • Summary of the DOE FY 2007 Budget including the Office of Science
• Details of the President's FY 2007 Budget Request to be revealed today. The Office of Science is proposed for a 14% increase to support the President's American Competitiveness Initiative. February 6, 2006
  

  	FY 2006 ($M) Actual	FY2007 ($M) Request	Increase ($M)	Increase (%)
  Workforce Development	7.2	11.0	3.8	52.8
  Advanced Computing	234.7	318.7	84	35.7
  Basic Energy Sciences	1134.6	1421	286.4	25.2
  Nuclear Physics	367	454.1	87	23.7
  Fusion Energy Science	287.6	319	31.3	10.9
  High Energy Physics	716.7	775.1	58.4	8.1
  Biology and Environment	579.8	510.3	-69.6	-12
  Science Lab Infrastructure	41.7	50.9	9.2	22
  Security and Safeguards	73.6	76.6	3	4
  Program Direction	159.1	170.9	11.8	7.4
  Office of Science	3596	4101	505.3	14.1

• Nuclear Fusion Construction Deal Expected at Russia's G8 Summit MOSCOW, Russia, February 3, 3006 (ENS) - An international agreement on the construction of the ITER international experimental nuclear fusion reactor is expected to be signed during a G8 summit in St. Petersburg in July 2006, said Yevgeny Velikhov, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and president of the Kurchatov Institute research center. February 3, 2006
• U.S. Department of Energy Requests $4.1 Billion Investment As Part of the American Competitiveness Initiative - Fusion budget would be increased by $31 M. A key portion of fusion budget has been allocated to participation in the second year of the ITER project ($60.0 million total), an international fusion experimental reactor. The funding increase supports full participation in ITER, and the balance of the Fusion program is maintained at near FY 2006 levels. February 2, 2006
• U.S. ITER Project Office to moved be from PPPL to ORNL to optimize the roles of the Laboratories. Ned Sauthoff of PPPL is continuing as the US ITER Project Manager, and PPPL will continue to play a major role in the partnership. February 1, 2006
• UK Secretary of State and the Minister for Energy launched the consultation document "Our Energy Challenge: securing clean, affordable energy for the long term" to stimulate a wide-ranging and informed debate on energy policy issues. January 27, 2006
• Time to get Serious about Biofuels - S. Koonin, Chief Scientist for British Petroleum, Ethanol More Energy Efficient Than Previously Thought - A new study reported in Science shows that corn ethanol is a more energy efficient fuel than previously believed, reducing petroleum use by 95 percent per gallon. January 27, 2006
• Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) a new fusion device will start operation in July or August 2006 at the Academia Scinica Institute for Plasma Physics (ASIPP) in Hefei, China. If the experiments prove successful, China will become the first country in the world to build a fully superconducting coil experimental Tokamak fusion device, nicknamed "artificial sun", experts in China said. January 21, 2006
• Fusion Budget for FY 2007 to be revealed on February 6 in President's FY 2007 budget request. U. S. Fusion community to visit Congress on February 16. Posted January 20, 2006
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee reconstituted under new conflict of interest rules will meet Feb 28-Mar 1, 2006 January 20, 2006
• CA Discovers Power of Sun (AP) California could become a world leader in solar power over the next decade under a landmark incentive program approved by the state's energy regulators. The California Solar Initiative aims to install solar panels on the rooftops of one (m) million homes, businesses and public buildings over the next ten years. The panels would produce three-thousand megawatts of solar electricity. The program will provide nearly three billion dollars in consumer rebates for installation of solar panels between 2007 and 2016. The five-member Public Utility Commission already has approved 300 million dollars in rebates for 2006. The initiative must still be approved by the State Legislature. January 14, 2006
• European Commission calls for expressions of interest for position of ITER Principal Deputy Director Deadline January 20,2006. Additional positions are available. January 9, 2006
• ITER - Opportunities for European Industry -presentations from Workshop 13-14 December 2005
• France Announces Construction of Gen IV Reactor: (AFP)- President Jacques Chirac announced plans to build a prototype fourth-generation nuclear reactor by 2020 as well as symbolic targets for cutting France's reliance on oil in the coming decades. In the field of nuclear energy, Chirac stressed that France was a key partner in ITER, an international experimental fusion reactor to be based in southern France, as well as in developing a third-generation EPR reactor. "What is at stake (through the ITER project) is the ability to harness the energy of the sun by the end of the century," Chirac said. January 8, 2006
• Evolution in Action : Breakthrough of the Year according to Science. The choice of France as the site for ITER was the 10th runnerup. December 23, 2005
• "ITER - Opportunities for European Industry" - Over six hundred representatives from European industry and fusion research institutes gathered in Barcelona on 13/14 December, for a two-day workshop named "ITER &endash; Opportunities for European Industry". The goal of the workshop is to inform European companies about the international ITER Fusion Energy Project, and to discuss opportunities for their involvement in its construction. December 14, 2005
• Workshop on Burning Plasmas held December 7-9 by US Burning Plasma Organization was attended by over 150 US fusion researchers . The workshop discussed: progress since Snowmass 2002, issues related to burning plasmas and possible tasks for the future related to ITER and beyond. Presentations can be downloaded from the Workshop link. December 12, 2005
• India was welcomed by the other partners as a full partner in the ITER project during the 12th ITER negotiating meeting held today in Korea. Agreement was reached by the Delegations on all remaining issues such as decision making, intellectual property and management within the prospective ITER Organisation, and adjustments to the sharing of resources as a result of India's participation, including in particular cost sharing and in-kind contributions. December 6, 2005
• ITER Negotiations Continuing - A Preparatory Committee meeting will take place on 5th and 8th December to officially recognise the Director-General Nominee, and to consider the Transitional Project Team preparations. December 6, 2005
• EU OKs India joining ITER nuclear reactor project -BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Friday to include India in a 10-billion-euro project to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor that in the long-run could provide virtually unlimited, cheap and clean energy. The EU's willingness to work with India on a civil nuclear project comes months after the United States said it would support India's nuclear power development despite its refusal to sign a global treaty barring the spread of atomic weapons. Critics of the project, which began life in 1985 as a showpiece of Cold War diplomacy between the United States and the Soviet Union, say it is too expensive, unrealistic, with too long a wait for results. December 2, 2005
• South Korea to Host Talks for Int'l Nuclear Fusion Project - SEOUL, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - South Korea is to play host to negotiations this week for a six-nation project to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor in France by 2015, the Ministry of Science and Technology said Wednesday. The six members -- South Korea, the United States, Japan, European Union, China and Russia -- will take part in the talks from Thursday until Dec. 8 on South Korea's southern island province of Jeju.From Dec. 6, participants will hold high-ranking meetings to discuss a variety of issues, including India's petition to participate in the consortium. They are also to approve the appointment of Kaname Ikeda, Japan's ambassador to Croatia, as the director general of ITER during a preparation committee on Dec. 5-8. The goal has been for the six partners to sign a Draft Implementing Agreement by December 31, 2005. November 30, 2005
• 20 Years ago at US -Soviet Summit Meeting in Geneva First Discussion that led to ITER (November 21, 1985), From the Joint Statement of President Reagan and Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev - "Fusion Research - The two leaders emphasized the potential importance of the work aimed at utilizing controlled thermonuclear fusion for peaceful purposes and, in this connection, advocated the widest practicable development of international cooperation in obtaining this source of energy, which is essentially inexhaustible, for the benefit for all mankind." November 21, 2005
• ITER Project to Solve Global Energy Problems- Moscow (Novosti) -ITER is the most ambitious undertaking in the history of mankind, dwarfing the International Space Station (ISS) in terms of its intellectual and financial resources.If successful, ITER would provide mankind with an unlimited source of energy. A thermonuclear power plant may appear by 2030, requiring tremendous amounts of energy. "Those involved in the ITER project understand that thermonuclear fusion will become a powerful and reliable source of energy," Velikhov full-time member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, president of the well-known Kurchatov R&D Institute and head of the Institute's ITER Council, said. November 15, 2005
• Congressman Boehlert Promises to Kill ITER Project if Funding Agreement is not Reached - WASHINGTON, DC, November 9, 2005 - House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) made the following statement today during debate over the Energy and Water appropriations: ...I want to make clear to everyone concerned that I will do everything in my power to kill the ITER project if there is not an agreement by March that the domestic fusion program has to be scaled back to pay for ITER.  "I am not going to allow the U.S. to enter into an international commitment that it cannot afford.  I would rather kill the ITER project.  "The fusion community will have to be realistic.  It cannot have all its current projects and ITER.  And it will not.......November 11, 2005
• Fusion Budget for FY 2006 Approved by House-Senate Conference Committee-The conferees provide $290,550,000 for fusion energy sciences, the same as the budget request. The conferees direct the Department to utilize $29,900,000 of funding proposed for ITER work in fiscal year 2006 to restore U.S.-based fusion funding to fiscal year 2005 levels as follows: $7,300,000 for high performance materials for fusion; $8,700,000 to restore operation of the three major user facilities to fiscal year 2005 operating levels; $7,200,000 for intense heavy ion beams and fast ignition studies; $5,100,000 for compact stellarators and small-scale experiments; and $1,600,000 for theory. As in previous years, the conferees direct the Department to fund the U.S. share of ITER in fiscal year 2007 through additional resources rather than through reductions to domestic fusion research or to other Office of Science programs. Within available funds, the conferees include $1,000,000 for non-defense research activities at the Atlas Pulse Power facility. In addition, the conferees direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to undertake a study of the Office of Science Fusion Energy Sciences program in order to define the role of the major domestic facilities in support of the ITER, including recommendations on the possible consolidation or focus of operations to maximize their research value in support of ITER. The GAO shall also evaluate the opportunities to leverage the National Nuclear Security Administration investment as an alternative to the tokamak concept. This Energy and Water Appropriations bill is expected to be passed by the Senate and House later this week, and signed by the President next week. Senate Press Release. and House Press Release November 7, 2005
• Fusion Leaders Make an Diplomatic Choice (Science - November 11,2005) Meeting in Vienna this week, representatives of the six international partners in the project&emdash;China, the European Union (E.U.), Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States&emdash;tapped Kaname Ikeda to lead the $12 billion fusion project, which aims to build a reactor to recreate the sun's power source.However, delegates in Vienna failed to agree on the inclusion of India as a partner in the project. India had asked to join in July, but sources say that some ITER partners do not want India to have a prominent role because of its failure to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Posted November 15, 2005
• Japanese Ambassador to Croatia named head of ITER organization - (Kyodo) -Kaname Ikeda, a former Science and Technology Agency official, was tapped Monday to be the chief of an international project to build a nuclear fusion reactor in France, science ministry officials said. The decision on the appointment of Ikeda, 59, currently Japanese Ambassador to Croatia, was made at a meeting in Vienna of deputy ministerial officials from the European Union and five participating countries - Japan, China, Russia, South Korea and the United States, according to the officials. November 7, 2005
• Common Message from the 5th Preparatory Meeting for ITER Decision Making (IAEA Vienna, 7th November 2005) - High level negotiators from China, European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States met at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on 7th November 2005 to advance the ITER negotiations. This was the first such meeting since the successful resolution of the siting issue for ITER at the Meeting of Ministers in Moscow on 28th June 2005. Kaname Ikeda, a former Science and Technology Agency was named Director General of the ITER construction project. November 7, 2005
• 11th ITER Negotiations Meeting was held in Chengdu, China, 24October 2005 - November 3, 2005
  • November 2005 - High level "P" Meeting, Director General to be selected
  • 6December, 2005 - 12th ITER negotiations Meeting to finalize drafts of the ITER Implementing Agreement will be held in Korea.
  • Spring 2006 - Ministerial Meeting to "initial" Implementing Agreement
  • Jun-Jul 2006 - Agreement Formal Signature (Ratification of financial obligations)
  • End 2006 - Agreement enters into force
• Japan eyes Ikeda as candidate to head ITER organization (Kyodo) - Japan will recommend Kaname Ikeda, a former high level administrator with extensive science and technology expertise, as the candidate to head the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project organization, the Science Ministry said Tuesday. October 18, 2005
• Fusion Power Associates Annual Meeting will be held October 11-12, 2005 in Washington DC. Updated October 18, 2005
• FESAC Panel formed to assess progress of the US Fusion Program toward long term performance goals. October 9, 2005
• Chief of Majority Staff for House Science Committee Offers Views on ITER - David Goldston, Chief of Majority Staff for the House Science Committee, said "The U.S. should not commit to ITER funding without a clear strategy as to how to pay for it, he said, adding, "I don't see some big bump-in in Office of Science funding." Goldston later said, "I will do all I can to prevent the U.S. from entering into an agreement if no one is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to pay for it." Posted October 2, 2005
• Symposium on Fusion Energy - Reports of recent progress on magnetic and inertial fusion research. September 29, 2005
• Japanese set to direct 'sun-power' nuclear reactor in France -AFP - Almost three months after the ITER site was selected, Japan has been asked to nominate the chief of an international project to build a multi-billion-dollar nuclear fusion reactor in southern France, the project's six partners said in a statement. September 17, 2005
• An ITER negotiators working group meeting (NSSG-10 ) was held September 6-10 in Cadarache, France, to address the process for selecting a Director General and the development of arrangements for the ITER Joint Implementing Agreement. September 15, 2005
• Several Agreements were signed during the Sixth India-EU Business summit - The two sides decided to strenghten cooperation in the energy sector to develop more efficient, cleaner and alternative energy chains and work to secure India's membership in the ITER nuclear fusion project. September 7, 2005 (Separate item - With Nine Fission Power Reactors Under Construction India Targets 20,000 Megawatts of Nuclear Power by 2020. The nuclear power plans are part of a goal to add 150,000 MW of power to the nation's generating capacity in the next ten years.)
• Nuclear Energy for a New Europe 2005 - EUROPA - European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik has called for greater investments in new energy technologies in light of the soaring oil prices that are set to affect the competitiveness of the economy and society as a whole. September 6, 2005
• European physicists propose 735 million euro alternative to ITER - Cordis News -The provisionally titled HiPER facility would be based on 'fast ignition' laser fusion technology, in which two separate lasers are used to compress and heat a small capsule of deuterium and tritium until the nuclei are hot enough to undergo nuclear fusion, producing helium and neutrons. September 5, 2005
• Europe plans $800M Fast Ignition laser-fusion facility - Laser physicists in Europe have put forward plans to build a £500m facility to study a new approach to laser fusion. A panel of scientists from seven European Union countries believes that a "fast ignition" laser facility could make a significant contribution to fusion research, as well as supporting experiments in other areas of physics. The facility could be up and running by the middle of the next decade. September 2, 2005
• Japanese Ministry eyes 3 ITER-related facilities for Aomori Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun) The science and technology ministry specified three facilities it wants to operate in Amori Prefecture as a reward for abandoning its bid to host the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), ministry sources said. September 2, 2005
• India's quest to join the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is gathering pace with the ITER Preparatory Committee expected to formally look into the keen interest shown by New Delhi when it meets on September 13. India may also be allowed to participate in some of the technical meetings. August 31, 2005
• Observation of neutronless fusion reactions in picosecond laser plasmas The yield of particles in neutronless fusion reactions 11B+p in plasmas produced by picosecond laser pulses with the peak intensity of 2 10^18 W/cm2 has been observed. VS Belyaev, Phys Rev E 72, 026406(2005) August 26, 2005
• Conditions for Aneutronic Fusion : Possible reactions, required temperatures and fuel density and energy confinement. August 27, 2005
• Lasers trigger cleaner fusion Neutron-free reaction (p+11B) makes less radioactive waste. Nature August 26, 2005
• Quest for nuclear fusion in the forest International Herald Tribune Cadarache prepares for ITER August 26, 2005
• US ITER Project Office solicits Expressions of Interest. Individuals interested in participating in the US ITER project activities are invited to fill out a questionnaire. This is a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) announcement, not a solicitation. After consideration of response information, the USIPO will issue solicitations for management positions within the USIPO and possibly close R&D and Design support. Posted August 23, 2005
• President signs Energy Policy Act August 8, 2005, American Institute of Physics FYI President Bus Signs Energy Policy Legislation
• U.S. to restructure the domestic fusion program around ITER (Physics Today) August 1, 2005
• Energy Policy Act of 2005 passed overwhelmingly by Congress, President expected to sign next week. In FY 2007 a funding level of $355M would be authorized for the fusion program. In addition to this amount, such sums as may be necessary for ITER construction, consistent with the limitations of section 972(c)(5) are authorized. The fusion section of the bill calls for DOE to submit a plan to Congress in 180 days for the implementation of the fusion policy in this bill. Updated July 30, 2005
• Solar fusion - Is It Time to Shoot for the Sun? (Science) - Officials at the U.S. Department of Energy are working to kindle support for a crash program to transform solar energy from a bit player into the world's leading power source. July 21, 2005
• Fusion Energy: Just around the corner (Nature )For 50 years, physicists have been promising that power from nuclear fusion is imminent. Now they are poised to build an experiment that could vindicate their views. But will the machine work? July 20, 2005
• All together now (Nature Editorial) The decision to site the fusion experiment ITER in France left relatively little bad blood between the international partners, who must now rally behind the project. July 20, 2005
• The European Commission published its "Key Figures 2005 on science, technology and innovation" on 19 July, revealing stagnation in research and development (R&D) investment in the EU. "While in principal there is near universal support from ministers and Member States for establishing a European Research Council, introducing a space and security research programme, constructing ITER, and strengthening the 'cooperation' strand of the framework programme, so far there has been a distinct lack of support in budgetary terms" said Commissioner Janez Potocnik. July 20, 2005
• The nuclear deal with India - By assuming the same responsibilities and practices as leading countries with nuclear technologies 'such as the United States', in the expectation of receiving the same benefits and advantages, India has joined the big league. July 20, 2005
• We need a strong program in fusion research. Some have advocated cutting the domestic U.S. fusion program and using the funds for ITER instead. This would truly reduce the United States to a bit player in fusion energy. Congressman Rush Holt. Posted July 20
• French Group CALLS for NON with ITER and YES with energy saving, renewable energies, and the democratic choice of the citizens. Posted July 20
• Doubts Rise Over the Great Nuclear Promise PARIS, Jul 12 (IPS) - The euphoria over a decision to base the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France seems to be evaporating. What remains is a growing doubt over the feasibility and cost of the project. Posted July 20
• Much noise for nothing (Le Express) The installation in Cadarache of the reactor with nuclear fusion would be a bad news for our research. Posted July 20
• ITER and Nuclear Fusion Projects - Yardsticks for New Energy Technologies (Industrial information) July 20, 2005
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) will review a Report from a Panel charged to examine the capabilities of the three major US magnetic fusion facilities at a meeting of FESAC July 19 at Gaithersburg, MD. Ray Orbach, Director of the Office of Science presented his perspective on the US Fusion Program and called for the US domestic fusion program to make sacrifices for ITER. Updated July 21, 2005
• International Fusion Research (MIT Technology Review) - The announcement in the last week that the site for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is finally resolved is a source of relief and anticipation to nuclear fusion researchers worldwide. July 8, 2005
• Blair Says G-8 Leaders Need to Move Past Kyoto Debate (Update2)(Bloomberg) "I recognize that greenhouse gases are an issue and that we've got to deal with it,'' Bush said. "I also strongly believe that technology and the proper use of technology will enable the world to grow our economies and at the same time be wiser about how we protect the environment.'' July 7, 2005
• We're a step closer to taming the Sun (Telegraph) Iter will show whether, after half a century of tantalising promise, scientists are at last about to catch up with the receding horizon of fusion expectations.July 7, 2005
• Nuclear fusion: power to the people?(The Register) It's G8 week, and climate change is high on the agenda. And now that even George Bush has acknowledged that climate change is (a) happening and (b) is at least partly due to humans but insisted it (c) should be tackled through technology, why not focus again on a technology that's (1) happening and (2) partly controlled by humans? That is, nuclear fusion. July 6, 2005
• Japan wins by withdrawing ITER bid (Japan Times) France has won the competition to host the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's first nuclear-fusion reactor. Japan fought hard to win the project, but in the end the projected cost and the promise of playing a significant role in subsequent research gave Tokyo ample reason to withdraw its bid. July 6, 2005
• Fusion Power, Elusive and Alluring (NY Times) Now a battle is brewing in Washington over how to finance the American contribution. July 5, 2005
• The Glory of France, and we don't mean food or wine (Wall Street Journal) - It's fitting that France was chosen as the site for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. The French have been a glowing example of the benefits of nuclear power for decades. July 5, 2005
• Win for France over fusion reactor, a big blow to Japan (NZ Herald) - The quest to find a clean, cheap and abundant way to meet future global energy needs took a big step forward last week when six of the world's leading powers agreed that France, not Japan, should be the site for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. But the choice was a loss for big science in Asia and will fan Japanese resentment of China. July 5, 2005
• Nuclear ambitions A step towards commercial fusion power. Perhaps (The Economist )This week, an international project to build a nuclear-fusion reactor came a step closer to reality when politicians agreed it should be constructed in France rather than in Japan, the other country lobbying to host it. The estimated cost is $12 billion, making it one of the most expensive scientific projects around - comparable financially with the International Space Station. Posted July 4, 2005
• Official Statements from the Ministerial Meeting for the ITER Siting Decision, June 28, 2005, Moscow Updated July 2, 2005
• China might build its own thermonuclear experimental reactor (Xinhua ) - Update from UPI July 4, 2005 update. A leading Chinese plasma physicist said Thursday China might build its own thermonuclear experimental reactor, which would be expected to supply sustained electricity for the world's most populous country. China to increase fusion funding. July 1, 2005
• ITER Finds a Home - With a Whopping Mortgage (Science) - As expected, the E.U. will pay for 50% of ITER's $5 billion construction price tag. The other five partners will contribute 10% each. June 30, 2005
• Chirac calls ITER essential for planet's future (AFP) CADARACHE, France, June 30 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday hailed a decision to build a multi-billion-dollar nuclear fusion reactor in southern France as vital to the planet's future, praising European solidarity in sealing the deal. June 30, 2005
• Japan consoled with contracts as France snares fusion project (Nature) June 30, 2005
• Lost ITER bid elicits mixed reactions (Japan Times) Where some see setback for Japanese research, others see turning point. June 30, 2005
• Star Power - France has just been chosen as the host site for the experimental ITER nuclear fusion reactor, a multi-billion-dollar project designed to emulate the power of the Sun. Richard Ingham looks at the potential benefits of the reactor - and its problems. June 30, 2005
• France Will Get Fusion Reactor To Seek a Future Energy Source (NY Times) With the agreement, the consortium can now proceed with the drafting of a deal on the construction and operation of the reactor. ITER officials said they hoped that the accord would be signed by the end of the year, allowing work on the reactor to begin next year and ground to be broken at the Cadarache site in 2008. Current plans foresee the reactor operating in 2016. June 29, 2005
• Is fusion the best way forward? (CNN) BRUSSELS, Belguim (Reuters) -- The choice of France as the site for an international nuclear fusion reactor is a victory for strong-arm European diplomacy, but the EU has had to pay a high price for scientific prestige with uncertain energy benefits. June 29, 2005
•  ITER Siting Decision Clears One Important Obstacle in Congress -(AIP) "This is real . . . we've got a project on our hands." - DOE Office of ScienceDirector Ray Orbach June 29, 2005
• US Senate Passes Energy Bill in Prelude to Talks With House (NY Times) WASHINGTON, June 28 - The Senate overwhelmingly passed broad energy legislation today, hoping its emphasis on both traditional and emerging sources of power could break a four-year Congressional stalemate over energy policy. Senate press release. June 28, 2005
• Official Statements on the ITER Siting Decision June 28, 2005
  • U.S.DOE Statements on International Fusion Reactor (ITER) Siting Decision.
  • Remarks on behalf of the United States Governmentat the ITER Ministerial Meeting by Dr. Raymond L. Orbach Director, Office of Science
  • Joint Declaration signed by the six ITER parties. Also, Joint EU - JA Agreement with additional details.
• Japan has key role in ITER project (Daily Yomiuri) Despite its concession to the EU in the dispute over the location of the reactor, Japan has gained assurances from the other ITER participants that it will reap rich benefits from the project.June 28, 2005
• France to Be Site of World's First Nuclear Fusion Reactor (NY Times) Many scientists see the estimated $12 billion project as essential to solving the world's future energy needs. Construction of the reactor is expected to cost $5 billion with its operation is expected to cost another $5 billion over twenty years, according to officials of the reactor project. June 28, 2005
• France to host world's first nuclear fusion plant A nuclear fusion power station is the 'Holy Grail' for scientists trying to find a viable alternative to the world's depleting stocks of oil and gas. The search took on new significance as crude this week reached a record price of $60.95 a barrel in some trading. June 28, 2005
• $13 billion nuclear fusion site gets green light (MSNBC) (pdf) France to host test reactor in search for alternative to fossil fuel.June 28, 2005
• Nuclear fusion reactor project in France: an expensive and senseless nuclear stupidity Paris, 28 June 2005 - Greenpeace deplores the agreement by the Representatives of the Parties to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) (1) to construct one of the world's largest nuclear fusion experiments in Cadarache, Southern France. June 28, 2005
• French Ecologists Dismayed by ITER Project Win - MARSEILLE, France, June 28 (AFP) - Environmental groups expressed dismay Tuesday at the decision to build the international ITER experimental nuclear power station in southern France, calling it a dangerous and costly installation. June 28, 2005
• Decision over siting of ITER is made at long last. -Nature- An 18-month deadlocked contest between Japan and Europe over who gets to play host to a US$5.5-billion experimental fusion reactor has finally come to an end. After much political back-and-forth, rumours and anticipation, the winner is France. June 28, 2005
• Biggest nuclear fusion project goes to France (New Scientist)June 28, 2005
• Europe beats Japan to ITER prize - (Physics World) The ITER fusion experiment will be built in at Cadarache in the south of France. The decision was announced by the six ITER partners - China, the European Union (EU), Japan, Russia, South Korea and the US - at a ministerial meeting in Moscow this morning. As part of various concessions to Japan, which had also offered a site for the project, the EU has agreed "privileged partnership" status for Japan, which includes support for a Japanese director-general for the project and a significant financial package. June 28, 2005
• Agreement on ITER construction to be signed in end of 2005 - MOSCOW, June 28 (Itar-Tass) -- An agreement on ITER construction will be signed in the end of this year, and the thermonuclear reactor will have been built by 2014, Dr. Raymond Orbach, the director of the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy told a news conference after the Moscow meeting on ITER construction. According to him, it will be clear in ten years whether an experimental thermonuclear power plant is built. June 28, 2005
• STAR POWER: ITER, BOLDEST NUCLEAR INITIATIVE SINCE MANHATTAN PROJECT PARIS, June 28 (AFP) - In today's world, most energy sources are expensive, dirty, dangerous and finite. The vision behind ITER, the 10-billion-dollar scheme which cleared its last political hurdle on Tuesday, is of a world where energy will be cheap, clean, safe and almost infinite. June 28, 2005
• France gets nuclear fusion plant (BBC-0430 EST) (pdf) France will get to host the project to build a 10bn-euro ($12bn) nuclear fusion reactor, in the face of strong competition from Japan. Janez Potocnik, EU commissioner for science and research said that Iter "marks a major step forward in international science cooperation". He added: "Now that we have reached consensus on the site for Iter, we will make all efforts to finalise the agreement on the project, so that construction can begin as soon as possible." June 28, 2005
• 'DELIGHTED' CHIRAC TO VISIT ITER NUCLEAR REACTOR SITE THURSDAY - PARIS, June 28 (AFP) - President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday he was delighted by the designation of France to host the ITER experimental nuclear energy reactor and will visit the site at Cadarache in the south of the country on Thursday. The choice of Cadarache "is a great success for France, for Europe and for all the partners in ITER," the president said in a communique.June 28, 2005
• Fusion centre decision 'imminent' (BBC) A long wrangle over the location of a 10bn-euro nuclear fusion reactor could be resolved on Tuesday (June 28) , with the EU expected to get the nod over Japan. June 27, 2005
• China, South Korea oppose fusion project perks for Japan - Kyodo -TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may have a hard time winning all the incentives it wants in return for giving up its bid to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor due to opposition from China and South Korea, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday. June 25, 2005
• Details are emerging concerning the Ministerial level Meeting (MM-2) planned to be held in Moscow 28th June (next Tuesday). This meeting is expected to sign an agreement on the choice of ITER site. There are however no details yet of the content of the declaration from this meeting. The meeting is planned to take place in the Red Hall of the President Hotel, Moscow, starting at 10.30 am. RF Minister Rumyantsev will welcome the participants. The EU,Japan, China, Korea and USA representatives will also be invited to make opening remarks. All Parties are then invited to sign the declaration. The IAEA representative may also add a comment. TV companies are invited to tape the signing for the evening news, and the meeting will be followed by a press conference. Further details on press attendance can be obtained from N. Shengarev (+7 095 239 4456). The content of the declaration will be posted here as soon as possible on the 28th. June 24, 2005
• France to win huge nuclear fusion project - New Scientist - A long and bitter dispute about where to site the world's largest nuclear fusion reactor looks all but certain to end in favour of France. June 24, 2005
• Political Crisis Puts Europe'sResearch Ambitions in Doubt - SCIENCE - The marathon summit that failed and plunged the European Union into disarray last week also dealt a severe blow to aspirations for European science policy, unveiled just 2 months ago by the European Commission - most notably to its plan to double the E.U.'s science budget. June 24, 2005
• Russia govt refuses to finance several fed programs in 2006 In the view of economists, federal funds should not be allotted any more for the "Youth of Russia," "International Thermonuclear Reactor (ITER), as well as "Socio-economic development of the Kurile Islands and Sakhalin region" programmes. June 23, 2005
• G8 decision on fusion would herald nuclear future STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Nuclear fusion as a future abundant energy source would receive a boost if G8 leaders agree next month on the site for the world's first fusion test reactor, two nuclear scientists said on Wednesday. June 23, 2005
• ITER Site Decision still being debated in the Press - AFP reports Japan has told EU it is giving up on nuclear reactor bid but Japan's Science Ministry Denies Report It Dropped Proposal to Host Fusion Reactor. June 22, 2005
• US Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water(Excerpts relevant to fusion or see full report) recommends restoring funds for operation of existing US magnetic fusion facilties at a budget level of $290M equal to the Preisent's request. The Committee also recommends no funds for the continued construction of NIF. June 17, 2005
• JAPAN TO ANNOUNCE JUNE 28 GIVING UP NUCLEAR REACTOR BID: REPORT - TOKYO, June 17 (AFP) - Japan will announce on June 28 that it is giving up on hosting a revolutionary nuclear energy project also sought by France after a long deadlock in negotiations, a newspaper reported Friday. June 17, 2005
• Budget crisis threatens EU-Basic priniciples of economic union at risk LONDON - Days after the proposed European Union constitution was shattered by French and Dutch voters, two other pillars of Europe's economic union are teetering this week on the edge of collapse. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has warned that the EU faces permanent crisis and paralysis if it does not resolve its differences. Background on EU budget-BBC. June 16, 2005
• EU stands firm in new Japan talks on nuclear deal (AFP) The EU renewed a pledge to strike an accord with Japan this month in a dispute over the location of a revolutionary nuclear project, as new talks on the standoff were held in Brussels. June 15, 2005
• President Bush calls on US Congress to pass Energy Bill . Senate Energy and natural Resources subcommittee forwards Energy Bill (S. 10) to full Senate. The bill describes the requirements for US particpation in ITER, specifies that if ITER does not go forward that DOE put forward a plan for a domestic burning plasma experiment. The fusion budget profile authorized is :FY06=$349M, FY07=$362M, FY08=$377M, with ITER construction at FY06=$55M, FY07=$95M, FY08=$115M. June 15, 2005 see House Energy Bill(HR. 610) February 11, 2005 below.
• Senate Energy and Water Appropriations SubCommittee restores US Domestic program at fusion budget of $290 M for FY2006. June 15, 2005
• Japan sends vice minister to EU to confirm intention on ITER bid (Kyodo) -The Japanese government on Tuesday dispatched Tetsuhisa Shirakawa, vice minister for education and science, to Brussels for final confirmation on whether or not the European Union has any intention of giving up its bid to have the world's first nuclear fusion reactor situated in France. June 14, 2005
• Koizumi says Japan still hoping to host international nuclear fusion reactor "There are still last-minute negotiations to find a solution that the six parties can agree on," Koizumi told a group of reporters. "We have been negotiating so we can meet the expectations" from the businesses and the town in northern Japan hoping to become a host, he said. June 14, 2005
• European Union leaders began an intense week of budgetary and constitution wrangling The 25 countries must decide how to respond to the constitution defeats and how to share the funding of the EU's budget. June 13, 2005
• Germany casts doubt on extra Framework funding for research (including ITER). Plans to double the European Union's research budget (and nearly triple the fusion budget to accomodate ITER construction) in the 7th Framework may have suffered a major setback last week when Germany indicated that it will back down from its proposed funding. At a meeting in Berlin on 2 June, Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister, told Janez Potocnik, the European commissioner for research, that Germany cannot afford to finance any substantial increase in European budgets.Nature June 8, 2005
• France Won't Build Reactor Without Accord, Japan Official Says ``It's hard to imagine France building the reactor without first reaching an agreement with ourselves and the other countries participating in this project,'' Takahiro Hayashi, deputy director of the office of fusion energy in Japan's ministry of education and science, said in a telephone interview today. The EU aims for an agreement with Japan at a planned meeting in Moscow tentatively scheduled for June 28. June 8, 2005
• Looking on bright side of losing ITER (Yomiuri Shimbun) Japan's bid for the ITER site was led by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, which saw hosting the reactor as a way of ensuring that Japan would become the world's leader in nuclear fusion energy. The Finance Ministry, however, was skeptical about the idea, saying the cost of hosting the project would be huge. A six-party vice-ministerial meeting on May 5 in Geneva, adopted a set of accords concerning preferential treatment for the losing candidate. June 8, 2005
• EU says still plans to start fusion project 2005 - LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - The European Union plans to start construction of a nuclear fusion reactor known as ITER before the end of the year despite ongoing negotiations with Japan over the site's location, Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for science and research said after the Council of ministers meeting on Tuesday. A Ministerial level meeting of the six ITER parties is being planned in Moscow for June 28 where a siting decision could be announced to meet the June deadline. June 7, 2005
• Japan to ask EU to 'joint host' revolutionary nuclear reactor Japan will ask the European Union to declare it a "joint host" of a revolutionary nuclear energy project even if the reactor is located in France, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.The two sides have also agreed that any later-generation ITER reactor would go to Japan, it said. The report also said South Korea has unofficially expressed objections that Japan would get so much out of ITER unlike other participating nations that will not host the reactor. June 6, 2005
• With Domestic Fusion Program at Issue, House Votes to Hold Up FY 2006 Funding for ITER The Department of Energy (DOE) has jousted with Congress for years over how to fund the U.S. share of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Now some key members of Congress want to take the project hostage until the White House lays out a funding plan that covers both ITER and domestic fusion research. June 2, 2005
• European Council of Ministers to discuss ITER Negotiators Progress at June 6-7 Meeting. The Council will discuss progress of the ITER negotiations toward their goal of reaching an agreement by the end of June to build ITER in France. June 2, 2005
• Japan sets concessions to give breakthrough reactor project to EU: AFP -TOKYO - Japan is setting two conditions to secure business at home before it will give up its bid to host a revolutionary nuclear energy project also sought by France, a news report said Monday. May 30, 2005
• STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY on H.R. 2419 - Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The Administration objects to the Committee's reduction of more than half of the construction funds for U.S. contributions to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Such a significant reduction could harm the standing of the United States during the critical final phase of the international negotiations this summer and would result in unnecessary schedule delays and cost escalation. May 28, 2005
• Contents of European-Japanese ITER deal revealed. Daily Yomiuri May 27, 2005
• US funding of fusion reactor in doubt The US Congress is divided over how to fund the US share of the world's largest nuclear fusion facility, mirroring a rift between some scientists and the US Department of Energy. The New Scientist May 26, 2005
• Fusion Support Fissions-On May 25, the full U. S. House House of Representatives approved, by voice vote, an amendment by Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) to prevent the U.S.from entering into an agreement on ITER, the international fusion experiment, before March 1, 2006. Boehlert's action, taken with the endorsement of House Appropriations Committee Chair David Hobson (R-OH),reflects a growing gap between the fusion policy presented by the Department of Energy (DOE) and that advocated by the U. S. fusion community and the Congress.May 26, 2005
• HOUSE APPROVES BOEHLERT FUSION AMENDMENT-  "The amendment says, in effect, that we [the US Congress] can't finalize an agreement on ITER before March 1 of next year.  By then we will have in hand both the proposed ITER agreement and the President's fiscal 2007 budget request.  With that information, we should be able to determine if there is a consensus on moving forward. May 26, 2005
• FY 2006 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill reported by US House of Representatives Appropriation Committee. The Committee recommends a Fusion Energy Sciences budget of $295,155,000, an increase of $5,605,000 over the budget request but with a significant redirection of funds. The Committee recommends $541,418,000 for the Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Yield Program, which maintains the program at the current year level and is an increase of $81,000,000 over the budget request. May 16, 2005
• The U.S. ITER Project Advisory Committee met May 12-13 at PPPL. May 16, 2005
• U.S. ITER Project Office gave an Overview of ITER on May 11 at the request of a group of industrial members. May 16, 2005
• Losing the ITER project may be the best bet. Asahi Shimbun One factor contributing to Japan's giving up the chase is the swelling financial cost of the bidding war. May 16, 2005
• LDP group warns against reported gov't move to give up ITER bid - Kyodo-"There have been media reports saying that Japan will give up its bid to host (ITER), but they are wrong," former Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma, who heads the group, was quoted as saying at the outset of a meeting of the lawmakers. May 13, 2005
• ITER Rivals Agree to Terms; Site Said to Be Cadarache - Science - CAMBRIDGE,U.K., AND TOKYO - The contenders to host the $11 billion ITER fusion project - Japan and the European Union - finally appear to have made a deal. May 13, 2005
  • France and Japan disagree over outcome of ITER meeting Cordis - Discussions over the eventual site of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) have become more heated after the French Minister for Research declared that an agreement had been reached. Japan immediately rejected the claim and made it known that a diplomatic protest over the declaration was being considered. May 9, 2005
  • Japan remains committed to ITER bid, says official (Kyodo) - Japan remains committed to its bid to host the world's first nuclear fusion reactor at a site in Aomori Prefecture, a top bureaucrat at Japan's science and technology ministry said Monday. May 9, 2005
  • Japan, EU reach basic agreement over ITER The Yomiuri Shimbun The [japanese] government and the European Union on Thursday reached a basic agreement over the role of host and non-hosting countries in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project during talks in Geneva, a [Japanese] government official said.May 6, 2005
  • JAPAN 'CONSIDERING PROTEST' OVER CHIRAC STATEMENT ON NUCLEAR PROJECT TOKYO, May 6 (AFP) - Japan has not given up its bid to host a pioneering nuclear reactor and is considering a formal protest over remarks by President Jacques Chirac claiming it will go to France, the science ministry said Friday. May 6, 2005
  • EU SAYS NO AGREEMENT ON FUSION REACTOR, FRANCE SAYS DEAL DONE BRUSSELS, May 5 (AFP) - The European Union and Japan have yet to reach an agreement on locating a revolutionary nuclear fusion reactor in southeastern France, rather than northern Japan, the EU said following talks Thursday in Geneva. "This morning's meeting was very constructive, and helped us make progress on the roles of the host and non-host countries," said Antonia Mochan, the spokeswoman for EU science and research commissioner Janez Potocnik.  "We are very hopeful of an agreement by July," she added. May 5, 2005
  • JAPAN, EU TO SIGN AN ACCORD OVER ITER THURSDAY: REPORT TOKYO, May 5 (AFP) - Japan and the European Union are expected to sign an agreement Thursday making Japan a preferred source of materials for a revolutionary new nuclear reactor should it be built in France, reports said.The signing expected in Geneva Thursday comes after the EU made drastic compromises to satisfy Japan, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper said, citing a French source close to the matter. May 5, 2005
  • Japan considers conceding ITER site to France -Kyodo News- The ballooning construction cost burden amid stalled negotiations has prompted Japan to consider withdrawing its bid, the sources said, citing reluctance from the Finance Ministry. May 4, 2005
  • FRANCE CLOSING IN ON DEAL TO HOST ITER NUCLEAR REACTOR- PARIS, May 4 (AFP) - France appeared Wednesday to be heading towards a deal to build a ground-breaking nuclear reactor, with President Jacques Chirac all but declaring victory and a report in Tokyo that arch-rival Japan had given up on the project. May 4, 2005
  • [Japanese] Govt may concede ITER site to France -Yomiuri Shimbun - The [Japanese] government may be prepared to accept the building of the planned International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in another country providing Japan wins construction work and jobs, government sources said. May 3, 2005
  • Japan, EU fail to break deadlock on fusion site. Japan and the European Union failed yesterday to break the deadlock over their competing claims to house a $10bn (7.8bn euro, 5.2bn pound) nuclear fusion research centre, leaving them just two months to thrash out a deal. Financial Times May 3, 2005
  • ITER site decision yet to be made: Japanese official - Japan has made no decision on the siting the revolutionary ITER nuclear reactor, an issue on which it has been deadlocked with the European Union, a spokesman for the country's foreign minister said. May 3, 2005
  • Japan may accept nuclear [fusion] reactor built in Europe PARIS (AFX) - Japan may drop its bid to host the revolutionary International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and instead agree to it being built in Europe, the EU presidency said.May 2, 2005
  • "We agreed that we should engage in efforts so that an earliest possible agreement [on ITER]can be achieved," Koizumi said after EU-JA Summit. The EU says it still hopes that an agreement can be hammered out by June, but has warned that it could go ahead with the project on the French site without Japan if necessary. May 2, 2005
  • Europe and Japan still appeared deadlocked over a site for the world's first nuclear fusion reactor, in which the EU and Japan are partners with China, the United States, Russia and South Korea. May 2, 2005
  • Europe and Japan at Odds over 'Superpower' Reactor May 2, 2005
  • ITER on EU-JA Summit Agenda- Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese prime minister, is the VIP-visitor of the week, spending Sunday evening and Monday in Luxembourg at an EU-Japan summit. Attention will focus on two highly sensitive areas: the future of the bloc's arms embargo on China and the home for an international $10bn nuclear fusion project. Financial Times May 1, 2005
  • EU-JAPAN Summit - 2 May 2005 EU leaders will welcome Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the 14th Summit between the European Union (EU) and Japan in Luxembourg on 2 May 2005.The EU and Japan are working towards a consensual solution to the ITER issue, and have agreed to a process which should enable a decision by July. April 29, 2005
• Fusion in the Laboratory using Pyroelectric Crystal
  • Electron and positive ion acceleration with pyroelectric crystals JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS 97, 074109 s2005d April 29, 2005
  • Tabletop Accelerator Breaks 'Cold Fusion' Jinx But Won't Yield Energy, Physicists Say Science April 28, 2005
  • Itty-Bitty and Shrinking, Fusion Device Has Big Ideas (K. Chang, NY Times) April 28, 2005
  • Physicists look to crystal device for future of fusion Nature News, April 28 April 27, 2005
  • Observation of nuclear fusion driven by a pyroelectric crystal reported in Nature April 27, 2005. Note: crystal fusion produced 800 deuterium-deuterium fusion reactions per second compared to 50,000,000,000,000,000 deuterium-deuterium fusion reactions per second in magnetic fusion (e.g., TFTR). April 27, 2005
  • Warm Fusion Comments in Nature - potential applications of pyroelectric crystal fusion include calibration of neutron sources, etc. April 27, 2005
• EU Commission proposal for 7th Framework would Triple Fusion Budget up to 2.167 billion euros, significantly more than the previous programme's budget of 824 million euros. Official proposal of Commission to the Council of Ministers (Euratom section) April 27, 2005
• EU stresses nuclear fusion reactor to be in Europe LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - The world' first nuclear fusion reactor will be in Europe, European Union member state ministers said on Monday, despite no agreement yet with project partner Japan, which also wants to host the plant. April 18, 2005
• EU Council Press Release-ITER, Next Steps: At the end of the second part of the Competitiveness Council of 18 April 2005, dedicated to research, Francois Biltgen, Minister for Culture, Research and Higher Education as well as President of the Competitiveness Council informed about the next stages in the ITER dossier: April 18, 2005
• European Council of Ministers to Discuss State of ITER Negotiations - On April 18, the Council will hear a report by European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik on the results of the meetings with Japanese Minister of Science and Technology, Nakayama . April 17, 2005
• European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik expressed confidence on the possibility of striking a deal by the July 2005 deadline. Japan's Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Nakayama separately told reporters that the European Union has made a new proposal and that the two sides "have entered a stage at which a political decision can be made". April 12, 2005
• EU and Japan Delay Siting Decision on ITER Until July 2005. (AFP) Talks in Tokyo aimed at breaking the impasse led only to an agreement to make a decision before the July 6-8 summit in Scotland of the Group of Eight nations, which will be attended by the Japanese and French leaders. April 12, 2005
• EU research chief in Japan amid deadlock on nuclear project TOKYO (AFX) - EU research commissioner Janez Potocnik held talks here aimed at breaking an impasse over which country should host the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a multi-billion-dollar project to create clean, inexhaustible energy. The commissioner met Yasufumi Tanahashi, junior state minister for science and technology, and will hold talks tomorrow with Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Nariaki Nakayama.April 11, 2005
• US Warns EU on ITER Stance (FPA) On April 7, Dr. Ray Orbach, Director of the US Department of Energy Office of Science, told a public meeting of his Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee that, in a meeting earlier in the week, he told a high level European Union official that the US viewed "unfavorably" reports that the EU was considering making a unilateral decision to proceed with construction of ITER in France. Orbach said he told the official that if the EU were to proceed without an agreement on site from the other 5 ITER partners (Japan, Russia, China, Korea and the US) the US would consider that the EU had withdrawn from the ITER collaboration, reducing it from a 6-member to a 5 member partnership. April 7, 2005
• EU research chief to head to Japan next week to discuss ITER BRUSSELS (AFP) - EU research commissioner Janez Potocnik will go to Japan next week to make his case (April 12) for building the revolutionary nuclear project known as ITER in Europe, he said. Potocnik's trip to Japan comes a week ahead of a crucial meeting between European research ministers on April 18 in Luxembourg. April 7, 2005
• Global warming fuels call to invest in nuclear fusion Sir David King, who last night gave the opening speech at the Edinburgh International Science Festival, said he believed fusion power would become a reality. April 2, 2005
• ITER Site Decision still Deadlocked after Chirac Discussions with Koizumi
  • Chirac seeks deal with Japan to break deadlock on nuclear project "What the summit did was to reconfirm the method that we have been taking and to continue the ongoing dialogue" said Satoru Ohtake, chief of the Office of Fusion Energy, which handles the ITER issue at the Japanese science and technology ministry. March 28, 2005
  • Japan and France also made no headway on their dispute over ITER.-Tokyo (AFP) The Japanese foreign ministry official said Koizumi and Chirac agreed in principle for an EU delegation to visit Japan before April 18, when the Europeans will hold a meeting on ITER in Brussels. Chirac, calling for an early resolution of the issue, proposed sending a European commissioner to Japan next month to accelerate talks and Koizumi agreed, a Japanese official said. - Tokyo (Kyodo News) March 27, 2005
  • Koizumi stands firm to Chirac on Japan hosting nuclear project (EU Business) "Japan has no intention to withdraw its bid to invite ITER," Koizumi told a joint news conference with the French head of state. "With President Chirac, we have agreed to continue our discussions to reach a mutually agreeable solution." Before Koizumi's remarks, Chirac had said the Japanese leader made proposals on ITER "which seem to be a nature that could allow an agreement." March 27, 2005
  • Koizumi and Chirac fail to Reach Decision on ITER TOKYO (Reuters) "We don't have any intention of withdrawing," Koizumi tells Chirac on Japan's bid to host ITER. March 27, 2005
  • Technology, Arms to China and sumo on the menu for French president in Japan (AFP) On Sunday evening Chirac will have discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. March 26, 2005
  • Row over ITER location ready to boil over In the tug-of-war between Japan and the European Union over a site for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor, France now appears to have gone on the offensive against Japan, whose ministries are marching to different drummers. March 25, 2005
• Congress threatens ITER over cost to US fusion labs [Nature, WASHINGTON] History is threatening to repeat itself as members of the US Congress chafe at the country's participation in an international fusion experiment. March 23, 2005
• European leaders agreed to accelerate plans to build the world's first nuclear fusion reactor in France - even if it means that the project goes ahead in the absence of an agreement with Japan on where the reactor should be located. March 23, 2005
• Japanese (LDP) lawmakers to ask Koizumi to show resolve to host fusion reactor During the meeting, some LDP lawmakers demanded that the resolution call for the Japanese government to start building ITER in Japan in collaboration with the United States and South Korea if Japan fails to reach an agreement with the European Union, Oshima said.March 17, 2005
• Orbach Testimony to House and Senate Appropriations on March 15 March 17, 2005
• Senate Appropriations Chairman, Domenici, Disputes Fusion Research Shift In an opening statement at the hearing on Energy and Water Appropriations for FY 2006, Domenici said he is greatly concerned about a budgetary shift on U.S. fusion research to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), particularly since there is not international agreement on citing this facility. The budget proposes a $46 million U.S. contribution to ITER, the first installment on a $1 billion commitment. "This subcommittee has been very clear about its opposition to funding ITER out of the fusion account. If we are to remain at the cutting edge of fusion research, we cannot undermine our own scientific excellence by under-funding our own capability," Domenici said. March 16, 2005
• India seeks to join EU energy project (ITER) Negotiations have already begun for India's inclusion in the project for building the world's biggest nuclear fusion reactor, a senior EU official told visiting journalists on condition of anonymity. March 11, 2005
• FRANCE'S CHIRAC TO MEET KOIZUMI, EMPEROR, ON JAPAN VISIT Arms Embargo and ITER are on the agenda for a visit starting March 26.March 11, 2005
• Securing Our Nation's Energy Future President Bush today visited Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, to view the energy technologies of the future and to reiterate his call for Congress to pass a sound national energy policy. March 9, 2005
• Japan warns EU against unilateral reactor move TOKYO, March 9 (Reuters) - Japan warned the European Union on Wednesday against starting to build the world's first nuclear fusion reactor, saying such a unilateral move would backfire. March 9, 2005
• Japan rejects Europe's nuclear fusion deadline (New Scientist) The European Union and Japan are still deadlocked over where to build the world's largest nuclear fusion facility, after Japan brushed off a new EU "deadline" to reach a decision by the end of June. March 8, 2005
• Wrangle over site could pull fusion reactor project apart: (Financial Times) The wrangling over the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor has exposed the limits of international scientific co-operation when jobs and money are at a stake. March 8, 2005
• Japan to pursue bid for nuclear project despite EU's June deadline TOKYO (AFX) - The government here said it will maintain its bid to host a revolutionary nuclear project, despite fresh pressure from the EU, which has threatened to build the reactor in France unless Japan compromises by June. "There is no change in our position," Takahiro Hayashi, deputy director of Japan's Office of Fusion Energy, told Agence France-Presse. March 8, 2005
• Clock ticking on fusion decision (BBC) Europe has made it clear it will not wait beyond June to reach international agreement on where to site Iter, the experimental nuclear fusion reactor. March 8, 2005
• Provisional Minutes of the EU Coucil Meeting The Council took note of the information given by Mr. Janez POTOCNIK, Commissaire in charge of research, on the progress report of the international negotiations relating to the future construction of an international experimental thermonuclear engine (ITER). The Council will reconsider this question at its next meeting on April 18. March 8, 2005
• EU Gives Japan Until End-June to Accept Nuclear-Project Offer March 7 (Bloomberg) -- The European Union gave Japan until the end of June to accept an offer of a ``privileged partnership'' in a 4.6 billion-euro ($6.1 billion) experimental nuclear-fusion reactor project in France, saying construction must begin this year. March 7, 2005
• EU gives Japan until June to reach deal on nuclear project BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European Union will give Japan until June to reach a deal about who will host a revolutionary nuclear reactor, saying that otherwise it could press ahead with the project without Tokyo's support. March 7, 2005
• EU reiterates warning to Japan over nuclear project Brussels EU science and research commissioner Janez Potocnik issued his latest barely-disguised warning to Japan over the EU's plans at a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels. March 7, 2005
• Japan rejects EU call for high-level talks to Resolve ITER Deadlock "High-level political talks would be fruitless." If we were to hold such talks forcibly, we would only reach a deadlock," Satoru Ohtake, director of fusion energy at the Science and Technology Ministry, told Reuters.March 4, 2005
• EU presses Japan to compromise on nuclear project BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European Union is pressing Japan to consider a "high political level" compromise to resolve a standoff over who will host a revolutionary nuclear reactor project, a key EU official said. March 3, 2005
• EU Research Comissioner on visit to JET - March 3, 2005. The EU has spared no effort and has made an offer to Japan that in all respects is comparable to the Japanese proposal. March 3, 2005
• House Science Committee approves H.R. 610 a comprehensive energy research and development (R&D) bill. The bill describes the requirements for US particpation in ITER, specifies that if ITER does not go forward that DOE put forward a plan for a domestic burning plasma experiment. The fusion budget profile specified is :FY06=$335M, FY07=$349M, FY08=$362M, FY09=$377M, FY10=$393M. February 11, 2005
• FY 2006 Budgets for DOE Office of Science and Fusion
  • Office of Science Overview Orbach February 7, 2005
  • Fusion Energy Sciences Budget for FY 2006 - Detailed Breakout 52 pages February 7, 2005
  • Fusion Program Summary for Program Leaders.February 7, 2005
  • Fusion Budget Breakout-one page February 7, 2005
• President's FY 2006 Budget Proposes $290 M for Fusion Energy Sciences including $50M for ITER. Fusion Research In January 2003, President Bush committed the United States to participate in negotiations on the largest and most technologically sophisticated energy research project in the world&emdash;the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The United States and its international partners&emdash;the European Union, Japan, Russia, China, and South Korea&emdash;continue to work toward a consensus decision on the site for ITER early in 2005. If successful, this cost-shared $5 billion research project will advance progress towards developing fusion's potential as a commercially viable and clean source of energy near the middle of this century. Assuming that international partners reach a timely site decision, the $50 million provided in the 2006 Budget funds the first year of equipment fabrication for the United States' in-kind contributions to this important partnership. (from DOE FY 2006 Budget Overview) February 7, 2005
• China to strengthen joint research in fusion power BEIJING, Feb. 6 (By Yu Zheng ¨Xinhuanet) -- Chinese scientists are considering strengthening international cooperation in research on fusion power plants, Lu Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) ,one of China's top science and technology decision makers said here recently. February 6, 2005
• Japan rejects EU ITER deal Additional details on reasons for the rejection. February 2, 2005
• Japan has rejected the latest ITER proposal from the EU On Monday, the business newspaper said Japan had rejected a proposal from the EU which required Tokyo to give up the project in return for the EU extending preferential orders to Japanese companies working on ITER. February 1, 2005
• S Korea Budgets US$27.8 MLN For Nuclear Fusion Project Friday January 28, 02:16 PM South Korea said Friday it has budgeted 28.6 billion won (US$27.8 million) this year for its newest nuclear fusion research facility as part of efforts toward a multi-billion-dollar experimental nuclear fusion project.January 28, 2005
• "We want to enter as a main player on the main stage" In his first interview with CORDIS News since being appointed EU Science and Research Commissioner, Janez Potoãnik outlined his immediate and long term priorities, and explained why he believes a focus on knowledge creation is essential to protecting the "European way of life".January 24, 2005
• All I want for 2005 - "I'd wish for two burning plasma experiments in the world, instead of just one." Professor Gerald Navratil, Plasma physicist, Columbia University, Nature January 5, 2005
• European ITER Position Clarified- Professor Paul Vandenplas, Vice Chairman, Consultative Committee Euratom-Fusion, January 5, 2005
• Japan, EU adamant about their proposals to host ITER, put off negotiations to next year; Joint construction plan involving Japan, U.S. South Korea also emerging. NIHON KEIZAI, December 20, 2004
• Japan vows no backing down to EU pressure on pioneering nuclear project, Japan will not budge in talks to choose the site of a revolutionary nuclear reactor, a top negotiator said, accusing the European Union of causing the deadlock by its stubborn support for France over Japan. EU Business, December 20, 2004
• DOE Statement to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. December 16, 2004 December 18, 2004
• On Friday, a group of lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party requested in Tokyo that the government conduct a feasibility study on Japan proceeding with the ITER project with only the United States and South Korea. Although the government says it will stick to the six-party ITER framework, science ministry officials have begun talks with their counterparts in Washington and Seoul on the additional financial burdens, construction period, and the size of the ITER project in the event that the EU leaves the framework, an LDP source said. Kyodo December 16, 2004
• Europe and Japan in heated clash over fusion reactor. A battle has broken out over plans to build a reactor that could harness 'fusion power', source of the sun's energy, for humanity. December 12, 2004
• FESAC meeting scheduled for next week has been cancelled. No other information is available.December 10, 2004
• President Nominates Sam Bodman as Secretary of Energy. December 10, 2004
• China and Europe enhance cooperation China and the European Union (EU) signed a number of cooperative agreements on 8 December, some covering nuclear non-proliferation and technology transfer. December 9, 2004
• Japan better choice for ITER given Asian energy demand: governor. The governor of a prefecture aspiring to host a multibillion-dollar international nuclear energy project stepped up lobbying Wednesday for the Japanese site, saying it is a better choice than a European location given a surge in energy demand and rapid economic growth in Asia. December 8, 2004
• Japanese ITER Proposal Disclosed-ITER: Japan to assign 20 percent of construction work to EU firms; Proposal for EU official to assume chief executive position MAINICHI December 7, 2004 December 8, 2004
• The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) has received a report on Scientific Challenges, Opportunities and Priorities for the the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program. The panel report will be discussed at the FESAC meeting Decmber 14-15 at Gaithersberg, MD. New December 7, 2004
• Japan offered EU compromise over ITER (Kyodo) _ In September Japan offered the European Union a compromise in their stalled negotiations over an international nuclear fusion reactor project, including carrots of 50 billion yen in work for European companies, Japanese government sources said Tuesday. The European Union made a similar counterproposal last month, and the two parities have yet to reach a breakthrough, the sources said.New December 7, 2004
• All I want for Christmas is limitless energy without carbon emissions -Let's stop the posturing and put fusion to the test. New Scientist New December 2, 2004
• ITER-Cadarache:More Than Just a Candidate Site CAMBRIDGE,U.K.&emdash;Government ministers from the 25 European Union (E.U.) countries declared last week that they want to keep negotiating with the other five partners in the international effort to build a $6 billion fusion reactor. But the one thing that is not up for negotiation, they say, is the site. (Science) New December 2, 2004
• Europe breaks ranks over fusion project site The multi-billion-dollar ITER fusion reactor was always intended to be an international collaboration,and was billed as a model for 'big science" projects. But this week, the model looks in deep trouble. Nature New December 2, 2004
• France confident of U.S., S. Korean support for nuke fusion project (Kyodo) _ French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin expressed confidence Wednesday that all parties involved in the international nuclear fusion reactor project, including the United States and South Korea, will soon support the European Union's proposal to build the reactor in France.New December 2, 2004
• Report of the DOE Review of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions sometimes referred to as "cold fusion." New December 1, 2004
• EU, Japan call for dialogue amid row on breakthrough nuclear project The European Union and Japan each called Wednesday for dialogue among the six partners on a multibillion-dollar nuclear energy project amid a deepening row over whether Japan or France will host the site. New December 1, 2004
• The EU will go ahead with locating the International Themonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France if no agreement can be reached with Japan by the end of the year over where to build the plant, according to EU research ministers. French paper Liberation quotes French research minister Francois d'Aubert as saying, "we are going to build Iter in Cadarache (in France) … [the decision] is irrevocable". EUobserver.com New November 28, 2004
• The European Commission has proposed that a "JT60" super-reactor and a research centre for analysis of fusion-related materials be built in Japan to feed into the ITER project. AFP New November 28, 2004
• Europe prepares to go for fusion alone (Nature) European ministers today agreed to build the $6.1-billion ITER experimental nuclear-fusion reactor with less than all its international partners, if that proves necessary to secure a French site for the project. New November 26, 2004
• Japan anger over French nuclear project BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU says it will do its utmost to include Japan in a project to build a nuclear fusion reactor in France, but suggestions the EU may eventually leave Tokyo out drew angry reactions from Japan. New November 26, 2004
• The Competitiveness Council of 26th November mandated the European Commission to do its utmost to finalize the negotiations between the six partners of ITER, the international thermonuclear reactor project, in the very near future. To this end, the concept of a privileged partnership with Japan will be explored. New November 26, 2004
• Toss a Coin for ITER Site Decision Even if Iter runs well over budget, its spending level is unlikely to exceed $1bn a year, a small price to pay for a reasonable chance to give the world another energy option for a time when it will no longer be possible to burn fossil fuels on the profligate scale of the early 21st century. But it should go ahead as a global rather than a European project - and ultimately there is no better way to choose between two good sites than to toss a coin.Posted November 26, 2004
• EU 'declaration of war' over fusion Japan said today it would continue with its bid to host a global nuclear fusion project and warned the European Union against going ahead without Tokyo. "It is regrettable that they are talking about taking unilateral action," Satoru Ohtake, director for fusion energy at Science and Technology Ministry, told Reuters. "There is no change in Japan's policy to seek to host the project." New November 26, 2004
• European research ministers say they are ready to press ahead with the Iter nuclear fusion project even if it means losing Japanese support. New November 26, 2004
• EU to go it alone on nuclear project, if no deal with Japan BRUSSELS (AFP) - EU countries reiterated that they intended to press ahead with the construction of a pioneering nuclear energy project in France if talks with Japan, which also wants to host the facility, fail to reach a conclusion, EU sources said. New November 26, 2004
• EU bids to force Japan's hand in nuclear haggle Europe is bidding to force Japan's hand in negotiations on a revolutionary nuclear energy project, by pledging to go it alone unless Japan gives in and agrees to a French site for the facility.New November 25, 2004
• Background Material for EU Council of Ministers meeting. On Friday, the Council of Ministers will decide on amending negotiating directives on ITER international negotiations. Following recent international negotiations in Vienna 9/10 November among the future ITER partners, the Commission presented last week a Communication containing recommendations on how to best conclude the negotiations. This should be on the broadest possible basis and involve as many partners as possible. The Council is expected to endorse the necessary amendments to the Commission's negotiating directives. New November 23, 2004
• Agenda for the European Council of Ministers meeting calls for a Council Decision on "Amendment of negotiating directives on international negotiations for the future establishment of an ITER legal entity for ITER construction and operation." New November 22, 2004
• Japan calls EU's proposal to end dispute over international nuclear fusion plant "out of the question" Asia News New November 22, 2004
• Fusion power faces big crunch On Friday, decades of research, argument, false dawns and political wrangling over one of the world's most expensive scientific projects will reach a decisive stage. European Union ministers will meet in Brussels to decide whether to push ahead with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter), an ambitious, £3bn project that aims to prove, once and for all, that fusion power offers the best solution to future energy needs.New November 22, 2004
• House of Representatives Approve a $388 billion domestic and foreign aid bill. Omnibus Appropriation Bill Conference Report sections on Fusion and the Office of Science. The Conference Report for Fusion Energy Science recommends an appropriation of $276.11 for FY 2005 approximately $12M over the President's request. The Conference Report for NNSA recommends $541M for the inertial confinement fusion ignition and high yield program (including $130M for NIF construction), $6M for petawatt laser development, $25M for high average power lasers (HAPL). In addition, $703.76M is provided for Advanced Simulation and Computing. The Conference Report for the Office of Science is also available. All recommended appropriations will be subject to a 0.83% reduction. New November 20, 2004
• Japan may take nuclear option in fusion row In an interview with the Financial Times, Satoru Ohtake, director for fusion energy at Japan's education, science and technology ministry, said: "If Europe maintains its hard line and if France starts building without any agreement from us, we will never join. That would be a miserable result. That would split the world in two."New November 20, 2004
• France and Japan Fail to Resolve Row on Nuclear Project-PARIS, Nov 19 (AFP) - France and Japan failed Friday to resolve their differences on where to build a revolutionary nuclear fusion project, with Foreign Minister Michel Barnier saying France was determined to host the facility.New November 20, 2004
• Euro Meeting Holds Key to ITER Project (Science)&emdash;The clock is ticking toward midnight for the fragile coalition trying to build the $6 billion ITER fusion reactor.New November 18, 2004
• Fight Over ITER Continues (Science Now) An E.U. source says that the commission would like Japan to respond to its offer before the end of the year. If Japan misses that deadline, "the E.U. reserves the right to go ahead with fewer partners, although all will be invited to join," the source says.New November 18, 2004
• Stalemate over fusion project threatens to provoke split (Nature)The European Union (EU) is considering going it alone with plans to build ITER, an international attempt to develop fusion as an energy source. New November 17, 2004
• European Commission presents blueprint for the final sprint in ITER negotiations Official press release by the EU Commission. Today at its meeting in Strasbourg (France) the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Council decision on the international negotiations for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). New November 17, 2004
• EU will propose nuclear fusion plant without Japan if there's no accord (Tokyo, November 17, 2004) Japan Times - The European Commission on Tuesday recommended that the European Union should go ahead by itself in building a nuclear fusion plant if no agreement is reached with Japan, according to a report from Strasbourg, France. New November 17, 2004
• EU Expected to Offer Japan Bigger Role in Operating Planned Multinational Nuclear-Fusion Reactor EU Research Commissioner Louis Michel is scheduled to present the EU's latest plans for reaching an agreement at a news conference later Tuesday.New November 16, 2004
• EU again warns could mount nuclear project without Japan BRUSSELS (AFP) - Ambassadors from the 25-member EU discussed the situation on Friday, and a new negotiating mandate is expected to be proposed next week by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm.The new mandate, to be unveiled on Tuesday, will "give priority to a solution involving all six parties, but there is a fallback option which is to do it with less than six," said one EU source.New November 12, 2004
• National efforts urged to win ITER location in Japan (Tokyo) Japan Business Federation Chairman Hiroshi Okuda called Thursday for national efforts to bring the planned International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor to Aomori Prefecture.New November 11, 2004
• JAPAN DETERMINED TO HOST NUCLEAR PROJECT, READY TO DISCUSS COMPENSATION Tokyo Nov 11 (AFP) - Japan is determined to host a multibillion-dollar experimental nuclear reactor amid an intense contest with France and is ready to discuss ways to appease the losing side, an official said Thursday. New November 11, 2004
• EU threat over nuke reactor "shamefu" (Daily Times) VIENNA: The European Union's suggestion that it might go its own way and build the world's first nuclear fusion reactor in France is shameful and destructive, a Japanese official said on Wednesday. New November 11, 2004
• China aims to employ nuclear fusion technology in power generation by 2050Shanghai. (Interfax-China) - At the 2004 World Engineers' Convention held in Shanghai, Kang Rixin, the general manager of the China National Nuclear Corporation, announced to the media that China would seek to employ nuclear fusion technologies in power generation by 2050.New November 11, 2004
• EU offers 'sweetener' to Japan to let France host nuclear project (AFP) No date has been fixed for another round of negotiations, but sources here said that the European Commission would decide on Tuesday (Nov 16) whether to press ahead with ITER with as much backing as possible at Cadarache. New November 10, 2004
• Fusion reactor decision must wait (BBC News) Europe has warned it could go it alone if the matter is not resolved soon.The decision to break away could come later this month when Europe's Council of Ministers is expected to discuss the issue. The EU would look to other nations outside the Iter consortium to come in and help fund the work at Cadarache in the south of France. These might include India, Switzerland and Canada, which itself recently withdrew from the Iter process. Japan has been irked by comments in the media over the past day that it was about to concede. This will not happen, its delegation in Vienna has said. It is adamant that its candidate site at Rokkasho-mura in the north of the country is the best - and it has the support of the US and South Korea. (pdf ) New November 9, 2004
• Japan-EU row delays decision on fusion reactor site Japan and the EU will hold talks before all parties convene a ministerial meeting in Moscow in December to make a final decision on the location, negotiation sources said, adding that all negotiating partners nevertheless agreed to proceed with the project within their six-party framework.New November 9, 2004
• Japan, US not ruling out French site for nuclear project according to EU official (AFP) Speaking after the latest round of talks on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Vienna ended without agreement, European Commission spokesman Fabio Fabbi said "we are pretty positive". "The EU proposals were not accepted, but they weren't rejected either, which is a good sign in itself," he told AFP. New November 9, 2004
• Fusion project talks end in Vienna without agreement VIENNA (AFP) - The latest round of six-party talks on a revolutionary nuclear energy project ended in Vienna with the parties failing to decide on whether it will be located in France or Japan. In Brussels, the European Union had said Tuesday it was prepared to forge ahead with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) if negotiations with Japan and other backers on where to locate it broke down. New November 9, 2004
• ITER Discussions finish without an agreement on Construction site LeMonde The European negotiators hoped, Tuesday November 9 in Vienna, to tear off an international agreement in favour of the construction of the engine of research on nuclear fusion ITER in the south from France, in Cadarache(Rhone delta). The discussions were completed at the end of the day without any agreement. Babel Fish translation New November 9, 2004
• Common Message from 4th Preparatory Meeting for ITER Decision Making All Parties were greatly encouraged by the positive atmosphere and expressed their optimism that the process was now proceeding effectively towards a fruitful conclusion among the six Parties in the near future. New November 9, 2004
• Japan, EU fail to reach accord on fusion reactor site Japan and the European Union failed to iron out their differences Tuesday over the location to host a global nuclear fusion project during the latest round of talks in Vienna with four other countries participating. New November 9, 2004
• Nuclear fusion negotiations go critical (New Scientist) The troubled negotiations over whether to build the world's largest nuclear fusion facility in France or Japan have finally come to a head. New November 9, 2004
• EU Threatens to Go It Alone on Nuclear Fusion (Reuters Nov. 9, 2004) - The European Union warned on Tuesday it may go ahead and build the world's first nuclear fusion reactor with whatever partners it can find if there is no global deal to put the project in France at talks in Vienna.New November 9, 2004
• Japan denies report on France winning bid for nuke fusion project (Kyodo News November 9, 11:52 AM ) Yasufumi Tanahashi, minister in charge of education, science and technology, told a news conference that the report "lacks foundation," indicating that there has been no change in Japan's policy to make efforts to host the ITER project. "The report is regrettable as it only brought confusion," he said, adding that he had "never" heard of Japan giving up on the bid as reported. New November 9, 2004
• Japan Pushes for Fusion Project, Questions EU Optimism France will Win TOKYO, Nov 9 (AFP) - Japan is still pushing to host a revolutionary nuclear energy reactor, a Japanese official said Tuesday, questioning the European Union's optimism that France would be the site of the multibillion dollar project.  "We do not understand why the EU suddenly said what they said. Maybe that's only their optimistic speculation. Maybe that's a negotiation technique," an official at Japan's science and technology ministry told AFP. New November 9, 2004
• Fusion reactor should be built in Rokkasho-mura in northern Japan. (AFX) -A Japanese official at the talks said that Tokyo was adamant in its view that the reactor should be built in Rokkasho-mura in northern Japan. 'We see no reason to change our position,' said Satoru Ohtaki, director of nuclear fusion at the Japanese ministry of science and technology. 'We shall put an extremely generous offer on the table' to obtain the right to build the reactor in Japan, he said.New November 8, 2004
• EU confident over fusion project Europe could be about to win the race to host Iter, the world's biggest nuclear fusion reactor. Other sources report that the discussions are ongoing and have not reached final agreement. New November 8, 2004
• France to host nuclear fusion project - EU source 08 Nov 2004 11:11 ET BRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - France will host a major global nuclear fusion project after Japan gave up its bid to host the $12 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in return for compensation, an EU source said on Monday.Negotiators from the six members of the ITER project -- the European Union, United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- are meeting in Vienna to seek a deal. Washington has previously backed Tokyo in what was seen as a payback for French opposition to the Iraq war."The agreement foresees Iter in Cadarache," the source said. "They are preparing an agreement under which the Japanese would receive something." Other sources report that the discussions are ongoing and have not reached final agreement. New November 8, 2004
• The Director General of the EU Research Directorate, A. Mitsos, held a meeting of European fusion Lab Directors on Friday November 5th in Brussels. Details are not available on the status of the European/Japanese negotiations on the ITER site. However, it has been stated that the EU favors a six party agreement, and a decision was hoped for by/at the November 25 Council of Ministers meeting. New November 6, 2004
• The 20 th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference was heldat Vilamoura Portugal. Dr. W. Burkart, opened the conference on behalf of the IAEA. He described the staus of the current ITER work, and noted that there is "still hope for a settlement (of the ITER site decision) before the end of the year. " A number of the Overview and Summary presentations are available: Updated November 6, 2004
• Japan, EU, others to discuss nuclear fusion reactor next week . Japan, the European Union and four other countries will hold a deputy ministerial meeting in Vienna next week to discuss wherethey will build the world's first prototype nuclear fusion reactor, Japan's science ministry said Tuesday. NEW November 2, 2004
• The Vice Ministers of the six ITER parties are expected to meet on Monday and Tuesday, November 8-9 at the IAEA in Vienna to discuss resolution of the ITER construction site deadlock. This meeting is to be followed by the European Council of Ministers meeting on November 25 where they are to make a decision on whether to continue along the six party path or to go forward without all six parties. NEW October 29, 2004
• France Seeks India's Participation in ITER- New Delhi, Oct. 27: France has sought India's participation in the multi-billion-dollar International Thermonuclear Reactor project which aims to use fusion energy for peaceful purposes. NEW October 27, 2004
• Two party discussions between Europe and Japan are ongoing with the goal of making progress on the ITER site decision. US ITER Project holds organizational and activities kick-off meeting at Princeton. NEW October 19, 2004
• Crude oil in New York rose to a record $53.31 a barrel on Friday October 8th - Does anyone care? At this level one might think there would be an interest in energy research. NEW October 8, 2004
• Presidential Candidates Speak Out on Science Policies Physics Today October 4, 2004 NEW October 4, 2004
• Japan regrets French minister's comments on nuclear project TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese official said he regretted a French minister's suggestion that France is going to host a revolutionary nuclear energy project while the site is still in dispute. NEW October 1, 2004
• France's minister for research on Thursday expressed optimism that his country would win the battle with Japan, the United States and South Korea for the siting of a high-tech nuclear fusion research project. CADARACHE, France, Oct 1 (AFP) Tocqueville Connection NEW October 1, 2004
• Europe May Break Out of ITER Partnership CAMBRIDGE,U.K.&emdash;Europe is ready to scrap the planned collaboration on what is supposed to be a global fusion reactor. Science October 1, 2004 NEW September 30, 2004
• EU in push for support on nuclear fusion reactor (Reuters Sidney Morning Herald September 26, 2004) EU ministers have agreed to try to win broad international support for a plan to build a futuristic nuclear reactor in France, even though several EU countries appeared ready to do it without the United States. The ministers are expected to take a decision on November 25 on which path to take on ITER. NEW September 25, 2004
• E.U. Tensions Surface Over Radical Nuclear Project AFP: 9/24/2004 BRUSSELS, Sept 24 (AFP) - The European Union reaffirmed its desire Friday to get broad international backing for a revolutionary nuclear energy project, the subject of rival bids from France and Japan. But sources said the EU was also growing anxious about delays to choosing a site for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and might in the last resort go ahead at its own location. NEW September 24, 2004
• ITER-Presidency Conclusions The Council had an exchange of views on the line to take in the international negotiations on ITER, on the basis of information from the Commission. The Commission is encouraged to pursue actively these negotiations with a view to enabling the Council at its session of 25/26 November 2004, to reach agreement on the main elements of the future international agreement on ITER. NEW September 24, 2004
• Dutch Presidency stresses the wish for international agreement on ITER in november, 24-09-2004, Press release, Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research. In the Competitiveness Council of 24th September EU-ministers gave a strong signal on the line to take in the international negotiations on ITER, the international thermonuclear reactor project. Following the exchange of views, the Dutch Presidency (Maria van der Hoeven, Dutch Minister for Education, Culture and Science) concluded that the Commission is encouraged to pursue actively the international negotiations with a view to enabling the Council to reach agreement on the main elements of the future international agreement. The Competitiveness Council will have its next session on 25/26 November 2004, where it aims to arrive at an appropriate decision.NEW September 24, 2004
• EU warns of breakaway plans on nuclear project AFP 24 September 2004 The European Union is pushing increasingly hard for an accord on the site for a landmark nuclear energy project, while treading carefully to avoid a fallout with global partners on the plans, notably Japan. But in a sign of the growing tension over the decision, long-time chief EU negotiator Philippe Busquin has warned the EU should start to study the possibility of launching its own project, diplomats say. NEW September 24, 2004
• Japan sticks to six-party framework for nuclear fusion project TOKYO, (AFP) - Japan is sticking to a six-party framework to build the world's first prototype nuclear fusion reactor even if the European Union (news - web sites) opts to push ahead with its own project, a Japanese official said. NEW September 24, 2004
• European Commission proposes that the ITER proceed in France without Japan and the US The Commission estimates that that the EU can advance alone to establish the thermonuclear reactor experimental Iter in Cadarache. France promises to double its contribution, to 914 million euro. NEW September 22, 2004
• European Commissioner designate for Science and Research responds to questions from Ministers. Asked whether he would support the current European position in the ongoing negotiations surrounding a site for ITER, Mr Potocnik said: 'I intend to firmly pursue the line taken by the Commission so far.' He argues that building ITER in Cadarache would be the best way of ensuring the project's success, and said that he would consider it a 'major defeat' if it proved impossible for all partners involved in ITER to agree on the site. 'Building ITER at Cadarache is not only very important for European research,' Mr Potocnik stressed. 'Cadarache is also the best site in international comparison based on objective criteria. For these two reasons, our first objective must be to ensure agreement on Cadarache.' If that fails, he suggests that the EU could consider building the reactor in Cadarache anyway, in cooperation with those partners who are willing to be involved, but described this course of action as 'the very last resort'. Transcript NEW September 22, 2004
• European Council of Ministers meeting on September 24 will exchange views on possible scenarios and on the line to take in the ITER international agreement with possible conclusions. NEW September 20, 2004
• Bush and Kerry offer their views on Science. including Energy and ITER. Science September 16, 2004 NEW September 15, 2004
• Bush and Kerry respond to questions on Science , fusion and ITER. Nature September 16, 2004 NEW September 15, 2004
• ITER likely to be sited in France according to Mr. Busquin outgoing EU Research Commissioner. Article from Cordis-EU Commission News Service - It appears that a solution to the ITER siting impasse may be in sight. After months of wrangling over whether the reactor should be based in Europe or Japan, there has been some movement on the part of the Japanese, according to Mr Busquin. It is now likely that the reactor itself will be based in France, while materials research will be conducted in Japan. Mr Busquin will present a paper to his colleagues in the Commission outlining the situation on 8 September. Japanese officials deny any change in their negotiating position. NEW September 3, 2004
• ITER Impasse Illustrates the Challenge of Site Selection The more partners in a project, the more resources available, but the more complicated decision making becomes. "We are blessed by having at least one. We are cursed by having more than one," says Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's Ned Sauthoff about the site candidates for ITER, for which he is the US planning Officer. Physics Today August 2004 NEW August 2, 2004
• US to pin its nuclear fusion hopes on ITER Despite continuing international deadlock over where to base the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), the United States' Department of Energy (DOE) is set to cancel work on a six year old national nuclear fusion project. NEW August 2, 2004
• US to halt nuclear fusion project Amidst a prolonged stalemate over where to build the world's largest nuclear fusion facility, the US is halting work on a homegrown fusion project. The decision caused concern among researchers at a fusion meeting earlier this week. NewScientist.com NEW July 30, 2004
• FESAC ITER Deadline Passes The July 2004 "deadline" for a decision on ITER construction set two years ago by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) passes as the ITER negotiations remain deadlocked. FESAC had recommended that "If ITER does not move forward, then FIRE should be advanced as a U.S.-based burning plasma experiment with strong encouragement of international participation." NEW July 29, 2004
• Nuclear fusion reactor Japan and the EU should forget their national pride. This is not the time for turning such an important energy project into a bitter battle of national pride. The Asahi Shimbun, July 28 Posted July 30, 2004
• Bush Administration's Approach to Climate Change Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham describes the approach in Science Magazine July 30, 2004. NEW July 29, 2004
• FESAC receives status reports on fusion program and FESAC panel on priorities. NEW July 29, 2004
• ORNL snares prime fusion energy project U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced Tuesday that the U.S. project office for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor will be at Princeton, N.J. The Princeton/ORNL team was selected to run the office, which will oversee procurement of major components for the prototype fusion reactor and assign U.S. scientists and engineers to work on the giant project. NEW July 14, 2004
• U.S. ITER Project Office will be Located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that the U.S. project office for ITER, a major international fusion experiment, will be located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).The U.S. ITER Project Office at PPPL will be responsible for project management of U.S. activities to support construction of this international research facility. These will include securing technical assistance from the U.S. fusion community; procuring and shipping U.S. hardware contributions; arranging for U.S. personnel to work abroad at the ITER site; representing the U.S. with the international ITER organization on construction and preparation for ITER operations; and coordinating and integrating the U.S. fusion community’s ITER project activities with the international ITER project. NEW July 13, 2004
• ITER Discussion by European Council delayed until late September Turning her attention to the subject of ITER, Ms van der Hoeven told CORDIS News, "The situation is that we will proceed following the ordinary Community procedure. What happens after that will depend really on whether our American and Japanese friends are going to say something more than they have said until now." All the ministers, she said, expressed a wish to put the matter on the agenda for the Council meeting of 24 September. NEW July 9, 2004
• Deadlock in ITER talks must end The discussion between Japan and the European Union over where to construct the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) seems to have reached a standstill.The development of a single ITER costs 1.3 trillion yen. As several reactors must be constructed before they can begin to provide energy, no country can afford to finance the project on its own. More talks should be scheduled to ensure that a decision on the location for the project is made.NEW July 6, 2004
• Nuclear fusion decision 'urgent' The countries planning to build Iter, the world's biggest nuclear fusion reactor, must choose a site urgently, a Russian scientist says. Professor Yevgeny Velikov, who has been working on nuclear fusion since 1958, said it was important to decide the site in the next three months.The countries of the Iter Consortium have been deadlockedfor more than six months over whether to build the reactor in France or Japan. NEW July 2, 2004
• Crunch Time Again on Fusion Project A $10 billion effort to harness energy from nuclear fusion was teetering on a knife edge earlier this week after another deadlocked meeting of its six international partners. The issue may soon come to a head. The U.S. delegation is said to be pressing for a decision by the end of June. NEW June 25, 2004
• Japan-EU summit in Tokyo to focus on enlargement, investment Japanese and European leaders meet in Tokyo on Tuesday (June 22) for an annual summit that will focus on economic cooperation, as Japan is achieving the strongest growth among the world's top seven industrialized nations.But two topics may overshadow the agenda: Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system, a potential rival to the US GPS network, and above all, the standoff over the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project. EU Business June 20 NEW June 21, 2004
• Decision on site for fusion reactor put off again VIENNA (Kyodo) The European Union and four other nations failed Friday to forge an accord on whether to build the world's first prototype nuclear fusion reactor in France or Japan. Japan Times NEW June 19, 2004
• Common Message from 3rd Preparatory Meeting for ITER Decision Making (IAEA Vienna, 18 June 2004) Delegations from China, European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States met at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on 18 June 2004 to advance the ITER negotiations. The two potential Host Parties, European Union and Japan, presented their positions, taking account of recent bilateral discussions on a broader approach to realising fusion energy. The parties noted that the contents of these offers were essentially symmetrical and showed a readiness of each of the potential Host Parties to contribute significantly to the realisation of elements of the Broader Approach other than ITER in addition to their contributions to ITER itself. All Parties stressed the urgency of reaching a rapid resolution of the siting issue so as to move forward to implementation of ITER in a framework of international collaboration. NEW June 18, 2004
• EU prepares strategy to secure ITER for Europe EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin appealed to the media on 16 June to 'spread the word' that 'Europe is best' to host the international thermonucelar experimental reactor (ITER).NEW June 17, 2004
• EU ready to match Japanese offer to host ITER project: EU source Ministers and senior EU research officials meeting in Brussels on Monday gave the European Commission their green light to increase its offer in order to break a deadlock with Japan over who will host the project, the source said. NEW June 15, 2004
• Bush backs Japan ITER bid SEA ISLAND, Ga. (Kyodo) U.S. President George W. Bush told Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday that he continues to support Japan's bid to host an international nuclear reactor project, Japanese officials said. Chirac tells Koizumi EU supports France's proposal. NEW June 12, 2004
• The House Appropriation Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development marked up its version of the FY05 Energy and Water appropriations bill.   DOE science programs are funded at $3.6 billion, an increase of $168.2 million over the budget request and $168.6 million above fiscal year 2004.  Fusion energy research is funded at $276.1 million, $12 million above the request. In other related areas, it is believed that the Subcommittee allocated full construction funding for the NIF project, but other funding details are sketchy. It is expected that the full House Committee on Appropriations will mark up the bill June 15 or 16.  Action on the Senate side is currently not scheduled and may not take place for at least a couple of weeks. NEW June 10, 2004
• A meeting of Vice-Science Ministers of the ITER Parties is tentatively scheduled for June 18 in Vienna to receive the enhanced Japanese proposal to host ITER at Rokkasho, and to continue discussions aimed at breaking the deadlock on proceeding with the ITER project. If successful, then a meeting at the Ministerial level could be held to decide on a site for ITER construction, cost sharing arrangements, selection of the ITER Director General and approval of a Joint implementing Agreement. Posted June 10, 2004
• Japan May Up Ante for ITER TOKYO--Japan may significantly increase its contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in a bid to land the stalled project, according to news reports in Japan. Officials are discussing boosting the nation's contribution from about 48% to as much as 65% of the total $10 billion construction and operating cost, the reports suggest. Government officials, however, declined to confirm the reports for Science.The partners can't agree on where to build the reactor. The European Union, Russia, and China favor a site in Cadarache, France, whereas the United States, South Korea, and Japan back Rokkasho, Japan. Another meeting is planned later this month. SCIENCE, V 304, p 1427,June 4, 2004 New, June 3, 2004
• Japanese Government hopes more money will secure ITER project (Tokyo-Daily Yomiuri) The government intends to increase its contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project by 50 billion yen if Japan is selected as the host nation for the project, according to a government source. The decision is seen as having been taken to counter the European Union, which selected the southern French town Cadarache as its candidate site, and which also plans to increase its contribution to the project. New, May 27, 2004
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda is due to discuss a proposal to pay an extra 895 million dollars to ensure construction of the world's first prototype nuclear fusion reactor happens in Japan with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. AFP New, May 26, 2004
• Japan ups bid for fusion reactor site CNN- TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Tokyo would boost its investment in the world's first large-scale nuclear fusion plant by almost U.S. $1 billion if the project's sponsors build the reactor in Japan, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The new bid would correspond to Japan financing 70% of the estimated $5B cost of ITER. New, May 26, 2004
• Japan ready to pay 895 million dollars more to host ITER project: according to EU Business News and Agency French Press. The initiative is a bid to break the deadlock between Japan and the European Union over the venue of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, the evening edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. A second article by Kyodo Express reports Japan will pay 50% (only a 2% increase) as a host burden. New, May 26, 2004
• EU sure of nuclear prize Europe seems to be still confident of winning a coveted nuclear fusion project. EUPolitix. New, May 25, 2004
• Europe is still confident that it will be chosen to host ITER, the world's biggest nuclear fusion reactor. Philippe Busquin, the EU's research commissioner, told gathered experts the volume of Europe's fusion research would double from 2007 to 2013. BBC New, May 23, 2004
• "Sometimes I feel like giving up," says Busquin on limited EU research budget as preparations begin for FP7 which must contain funds for ITER construction. The Commissioner is, however, hoping that funding will not be so restricted under FP7. The Commission's financial perspectives for 2007 to 2013 propose that the percentage of the EU's budget channelled into research increased from seven per cent to 16 per cent. April 28, 2004 Posted, May 23, 2004
• Minutes of the Council of European Ministers Meeting May 17-18. The Council has taken note of information provided by Commissioner BUSQUIN on the state of play of the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project and invited the Commission to report to the Council on the ongoing international negotiations on the file at its session in September.New, May 14, 2004
• Information from the Commission on the state of play of ITER is on the final agenda (released May 13, 2004) for the next European Council of Research Ministers meeting scheduled for 17&endash;18 May 2004. ITER is is now listed for discussion only, no conclusions are scheduled. Press conference after the meeting. New, May 14, 2004
• Preparation for the next European Council of Research Ministers meeting scheduled for 17&endash;18 May 2004 includes a discussion of ITER. New, May 15, 2004
• PARIS, May 4 (Kyodo) - Visiting Japanese economic minister Shoichi Nakagawa and a French minister agreed Monday on the need to cooperate in an international nuclear project in which the two countries are competing to host the site of the project, Japanese government officials said. Nakagawa and Patrick Devedjian, French minister in charge of industry, had talks on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project. "The ITER doesn't belong to Japan or France. It is important that we promptly proceed with the project for the interest of humanity," Nakagawa was quoted as telling Devedjian. Japan, the European Union, the United States, Russia, China and South Korea have been discussing whether the world's first sustained nuclear fusion reactor should be situated in Japan or France. Nakagawa also held talks with French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and agreed that the two countries should cooperate further on the protection of intellectual property in developing countries, the officials said. Kyodo News/ Fusion Power Associates. New, May 4, 2004
• ITER Decision on the provisional Agenda for the next European Council of Research Ministers meeting scheduled for 17&endash;18 May 2004. ITER-Decision for Conclusion of International agreement, Decision for the creation of a European legal entity and Policy debate. An informal meeting of EU Competitiveness Ministers (Internal Market, Industry and Research) was held beginning April 25. The Meeting, was attended by relevant EU Commissioners and Ministers from 31 countries together with international business leaders and leaders in science and research, focused on how Europe can stay competitive in a global market and realise its true innovation potential. New, May 3, 2004
• ITER, Fusion for Humanity Clarification to Nature by Sir David King, April 28, 2004 New, April 28, 2004
• New Nukes at NIF? Nature April 28, 2004 New, April 28, 2004
• Fast Forward to Fusion Comment and Analysis in New Scientist by Sir David King, April 10, 2004 New, April 21, 2004
• EU asks Korean support in locating fusion project - JoongAng Daily, April 13, 2004 -The European Union wants Korea's support in its bid to locate the ITER, or international thermonuclear experimental reactor, in France, says Philippe Busquin, Commissioner for Research at the European Commission. New, April 13, 2004
• Cheney to Promote Nuke Reactors to China- WASHINGTON (AP) April 10, 2004 -- On a trip to China next week (April 12-14) to talk about high-stakes issues like terrorism and North Korea, Vice President Dick Cheney will have another task -- making a pitch for Westinghouse's U.S. nuclear power technology.Posted, April 13, 2004
• Busquin uses Beijing speech to promote EU-China S&T cooperation [Date: 2004-04-08] Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin emphasised the benefits to both Europe and China of increased cooperation in science and technology (S&T), in a speech delivered at Tsinghua University in Beijing on 8 April.Posted, April 13, 2004
• China, EU agree to deepen sci-tech cooperation.  BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua and European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin agreed here Wednesday that China and the European Union (EU) will deepen their cooperation in space technologies, hydrogen energy development, fusion development and bio-technologies.New, April 7, 2004
• EU Commissioner Busquin in China to strengthen co-operation in science and technology. During the visit to China, Commissioner Busquin will also discuss the state of play of negotiations on the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) research project on nuclear fusion energy. The Commission is actively contributing to these discussions in order to reach consensus for ITER in Europe. New, April 6, 2004
• Stalemate Casts Pall Over Beleaguered Fusion Project SCIENCE, April 2, 2004 New, April 2, 2004
• European Union Behind ITER In Cadarache Press Release by French Minister of Research C Haignere on March 11. Haignere has been replaced by François d' Aubert, in French governmrent reorganization announced on April 1. Posted, April 3, 2004
• The European Council met in Brussels on 25/26 March 2004 for its annual meeting on the Lisbon Strategy and the economic, social and environmental situation in the Union. The Presidency Conclusions noted that the Council was: “Reaffirming the unanimous support for the European offer, the European Council invites the Commission to progress negotiations on the ITER project with a view to its rapid commencement at the European candidate site.” Posted, April 3, 2004
• Partners fail to find common ground for fusion project A technical assessment intended to break a stalemate over where to site the facility has itself ended in deadlock,with the six partners blaming each other for the lack of progress. Nature March 25.New, March 24, 2004
• Letters to Nature on ITER “Fusion: Bush agrees it’s time to end the impasse” Burt Richter, and “Fusion: choose Japan for international balance” Michael Mauel in Nature March 25.New, March 24, 2004
• The French Academy of Sciences will hold a meeting to discuss controlled fusion and ITER on Saturday, March 27, 2004.
• Japanese and Europeans still at a Dead End with ITER Site Selection March 23 -Japan and the European Commission completed Tuesday in Tokyo of the bilateral discussions on the discussed subject of the experiment of nuclear fusion ITER without managing to leave the dead end, but making the report of a necessary continuation of the dialogue in the common interest. "A decision must be made quickly" according to Achilleas Mitsos, the general manager responsible for Research at the European Commission. New, March 23, 2004
• The ITER Negotiations Technical Experts Working Group met in Vienna on March 12-13 and has completed its analysis and discussion of the site characteristics of the Rokassho Japan and Cadarache France sites for constructing ITER. Reports are now being forwarded to the respective govenments. The Group members share a sense of urgency in resolving the site selection within a few weeks. A draft Joint Implementing Agreement has been developed and awaits resolution on the form in which the parties provide their committment to the ITER construction project. After site selection, key personnell such as Director General and Deputies can be chosen.New, March 20, 2004
• India to participate in fusion PTI[ FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2004 03:44:29 PM ]NEW DELHI : India is considering participation in an international project on fusion research, an area which is being touted as the future technology to meet growing energy demands of the world, officials said on Friday.Posted, April 13, 2004
• A European delegation in Tokyo to discuss ITER again A delegation of the European Commission began Friday a five day visit in Tokyo to discuss again with the Japanese experts the disputed site of ITER, the experiment of nuclear fusion.New, March 19, 2004
• EU will not Share ITER France is not prepared to share a coveted nuclear fusion project with anyone else, it emerged on Thursday. At a Brussels meeting of EU research ministers (provisional minutes), commissioner Philippe Busquin was anxious to dispel rumours that Paris might share the international thermonuclear reactor (ITER) with Japan, putting an end to months of deadlock over a final decision. New, March 11, 2004
• Secretary Abraham's Testimony to House Appropriations Committee on March 11. New, March 11, 2004
• DOE Plans Termination of All Fusion Technology Efforts According to the U.S. Department of Energy's FY 2005 budget submission to Congress, and a subsequent clarifying letter from DOE Office of Science Director Raymond Orbach, the Department plans to terminate all its efforts on Fusion Technology by September 30 of this year. March 10, 2004,Posted March 21, 2004
• Time to choose the right site for a fusion reactor, Europe is ready, willing and able to host the ITER, so let’s get on and meet the challenge. Prof. Vandenplas, Nature March 11, 2004.New, March 10, 2004
• European Council of Research Ministers to meet on March 11 in Brussels. Discussions on the ITER negotiation status and potential broadening of the ITER program are likely. A meeting of technical experts from all ITER parties will take place in Vienna on March 12, 13 to continue discussions leading to a decision on the site for ITER construction at a meeting at the Ministerial level later in March. New, March 10, 2004
• A vast majority of the Directors of French Laboratories and Leaders of Research Groups have announced their resignations from adminstrative positions.This is part of a nation wide movement to "Save Research" in the face of a science budget dispute with the French government. LeMonde New, March 9, 2004
• Decision on ITER fusion project site put off to March New, March 9, 2004
• Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee Panel on Fusion Priorities seeks community input The FESAC panel has also drafted some decision criteria to help guide the process for dealing with priorities. The website contains the panel's current drafts on these topics and invites community comments. New, March 5, 2004
• Senator Domenici introduces lean Energy Bill expected to cost approximately 50% of the previous energy bill while achieving most of its objectives. The fusion section of S 2095 authorizes a significant increase in the DOE office of Science and fusion program budgets. The section on fusion (p. 570-579) also supports U. S. participation in ITER, and calls for a plan to implement FIRE, as a domestic burning plasma experiment, if the construction of ITER is found to be unlikely or infeasible.New, February 18, 2004
• Sir David King's Plenary Lecture Slides (final version) and Transcript at the AAAS 2004 Annual meeting calls for actions to mitigate Global Warming including development of fusion energy (1.4 MB, pdf). Climate Change Science: Adapt, Mitigate, or Ignore? Sir David King in Science January 9, 2004. United Kingdom Global Climate modeling activities can be found at Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research New, February 14, 2004
• Office of Science Plans for FY 2005 and Beyond Unvieled by Ray Orbach
  • Office of Science Strategic Plan February 12, 2004 Posted, February 17, 2004
  • Orbach Testimony to House Science Committee on FY 2005 budget request. February 11, 2004 Posted, February 17, 2004
• President's Budget for FY 2005 Released
  • President's FY 2005 budget proposes $264M for fusion, flat from FY 2004 The budget includes $38.0 million for the Department to prepare for participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program, a burning plasma physics experiment that is an essential next step toward eventually developing fusion as a commercially viable energy source. New, February 2, 2004
  • DOE Overview of FY05 Budgets 5 MB (pdf) New, February 2, 2004
  • Office of Science Overview of FY05 Budgets 64 kB (pdf) New, February 2, 2004
  • Office of Science FY05 Budget Details including Fusion Energy Sciences Program 900 kB (pdf) New, February 2, 2004
• Countdown to a Decision on ITER on Hold
  • ITER Site Decision Deferred- The ITER parties failed to reach a consensus on the site for ITER at the December 20, 2003 Ministerial Meeting in Washington, DC. The parties were deadlocked with Japan, Korea and the US supporting the Japanese site, and Europe, Russia and China supporting the European site. The decision is now deferred until March 2004.
    • Choose Me, Japan and France Say as They Court Big Fusion Project Officials from six countries participating in the project are to meet in March to try to decide between Rokkasho and Cadarache, in southern France, even as talks have become increasingly tinged with politics. New York Times New, March 9, 2004
    • ITER project is in danger of collapse The failure to decide on a site for an international nuclear fusion project at a meeting in Vienna late last month by the six parties involved has left the $12 billion project in danger of collapse."Unless the matter is resolved through the U.S. presidential election (in November), the project could collapse," said a lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.Kyodo News, March 2, 2004 New, March 2, 2004
    • Koizumi, French FM discuss Iraqi reconstruction Referring to the rivalry between Japan and France concerning which country will host a nuclear fusion reactor for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, Koizumi and de Villepin agreed bilateral ties can constitute both competition and cooperation. China View, March 2, 2004 New, March 2, 2004
    • Time for Japan to shine? Talks last weekend on choosing a site for ITER, the fusion project, ended in stalemate. But ITER deserves to proceed, and Japan's commitment to it is strongest.New, February 26, 2004
    • ITER project partners to continue talking despite lack of progressThe six partners in the ITER nuclear fusion project have agreed to continue talks together in March, despite the lack of progress in breaking the deadlock over the choice of site at a weekend meeting, a Japanese government source said.New, February 24, 2004
    • No end in sight for nuclear squabble The decision on a site for a controversial nuclear fusion project has been delayed by a further three weeks, it emerged this weekend.A technical meeting on ITER (the international thermonuclear reactor) was held in Vienna on Saturday but experts left having decided that another get together will be necessary on March 12 and 13, in the same city. EU Politix New, February 23, 2004
    • Final ITER decision pencilled in for March A spokesperson for the European Commission told CORDIS News that a final meeting aimed at reaching a decision was also planned for March, but that arrangements still need to be made. New, February 23, 2004
    • Common Message from 2nd Preparatory Meeting for Ministerial Meeting for ITER: Delegations from China, European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States met at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on 21 February, 2004 to advance the ITER negotiations.The delegations recognised the intensive work done following the Ministerial Meeting for ITER that took place on 20th December 2003. The delegations agreed to convene a meeting of experts in early March for a joint appreciation in common terms of a number of key topics, in order to bring the further technical analysis to completion. ITER Parties will continue their discussions including further exploration of a broader project approach to fusion power. All delegations reaffirmed their commitment to the consensual process towards joint implementation of ITER. (IAEA Vienna, 21 February 2004) New, February 22, 2004
    • Decision on site for fusion project is put off again The six parties involved in an international nuclear fusion project have again failed to decide on either a French or Japanese venue for the $12 billion program. The decision, pending since December, may now come in March. Japan Times, February 23, 2004 New, February 22, 2004
    • Decision on ITER fusion project site put off to March Sunday, February 22, 2004 at 13:43 JST VIENNA - Six member countries to an international nuclear fusion project on Saturday again failed to decide on either a French or Japanese venue for the $12 billion, 30-year program, putting a decision off to a meeting that might be held in March.Senior officials of the parties to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project ended their one-day meeting in Vienna without resolving the question pending since December, a Japanese negotiator said. Japan Today New, February 22, 2004
    • Thermonuclear reactor may begin to be built 2004 Construction of what may become the world's first-ever thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) may begin already this year, Russian Atomic Energy Ministry spokesman Nikolai Shingaryov said on the eve of another working meeting of delegates from the ITER project member-states, beginning in Vienna on Saturday.Tass New, February 21, 2004
    • France and Japan: who will place nuclear reactor on its territory? Pravda New, February 21, 2004
    • The ITER parties held informal closed-door discussions in Vienna on Friday. The talks will continue on Saturday. The Australian-AFP February 21, 2004 New, February 20, 2004
    • Japan not deserting six-party cooperation over nuclear fusion plan: Japan on Friday denied reports it planned to split from an international consortium building a multi-billion dollar nuclear fusion reactor, saying it remained fully committed to the stalled six-party project.Agency French Presse Feb 20, 2004 New, February 20, 2004
    • Nuclear Talks in Austria International representatives will meet in Vienna on Saturday to discuss a controversial nuclear fusion plan. EU Politix, Feb 20, 2004 New, February 20, 2004
    • Three compromise plans eyed for fusion project site A team of experts on an international nuclear fusion project has drawn up three compromise proposals in a bid to resolve the row over whether Japan or France will host the $12 billion, 30-year energy project, Japanese government sources said. Japan Times, Feb 20, 2004 New, February 19, 2004
    • Three Compromise Plans Eyed for Nuke Fusion Site A meeting of the Science Ministers of the ITER parties will take place in Vienna, February 21 to discuss proposals for moving forward with a broadened ITER program, and to review the results of technical analyses of the two proposed ITER sites. Posted, February 18, 2004
    • ITER Update Though progress is reportedly being made, the planned resolution meeting is now most likely in March at the earliest. Fusion Power Associates Fusion Program Note-FPN04-09 Posted, February 14, 2004
    • ITER - Compromise Deal Hinges on a Graceful Runner-Up A face-saving compromise is beginning to take shape in the battle between the European Union and Japan to host the $5 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER). But it rests on one side agreeing to accept a consolation prize. Science, February 13, 2004 Posted, February 13, 2004
    • At the time of the conference with UNO on Liberia, the French Foreign Minister, Domenica de Villepin, met his American counterpart, Colin Powell The principal subjects tackled were the Côte.d'ivoire, the possible implication of NATO in Iraq, Afghanistan, initiatives against proliferation and, also, the establishment of the research center on controlled nuclear fusion ITER. in LeMonde, February 7, 2004 Posted, February 9, 2004
    • Nuclear-fusion plan divides backers Japan and France are squaring off in a battle to host an international project to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor, a technology proponents believe is the future of energy generation. in Daily Yomiuri February 5, 2004 Posted, February 8, 2004
    • Fusion meeting shelved as site decision slides Nature Feb 5, 2004 (The meeting at the Ministerial level has been delayed, but others continue.) New, February 4, 2004
      • A meeting at the Vice Ministerial level is said to be scheduled in late February (21?)to discuss progress on the ITER siting decision.
      • The next European Council of Research Ministers meeting is presently scheduled for March 11 in Brussels.
      • Meetings at the technical working level continue, representatives from all ITER parties met Jan 29-30 in Japan and developed internal reports summarizing their analyses of the questions raised at the Dec 20 Ministerial meeting. Bilateral meetings to discuss technical issues associated with ITER siting will be held in the Washington on February 10(US-JA) and February 11(US-EU).
    • Japan, U.S. share both risks and rewards by Howard H. Baker, US ambassador to Japan, Point of View in Asahi Shimbum January 12, 2004 New, February 5, 2004
    • Fusion Power: Bouillabaisse or Sushi critique on fusion cuisine by The Economist February 5, 2004 New, February 5, 2004
    • CERN with ITER by François of Rose an ambassador of France and former president of CERN (1958-1960),Original in French LeMonde Feb 3, 2004 New, February 4, 2004
    • Russia sticks to its guns, backs France for fusion reactor "France, the sole candidate from Europe, and Japan still have time to make their locations for ITER construction most attractive," Yevgeny Velikhov of the Russian Academy of Sciences told the ITAR-Tass news agency after the meeting. Japan Times Feb 4, 2004 Posted, February 5, 2004
    • European Fusion Program Leaders Respond to Japanese Ambassador to France Original submission that was published in LeMonde Jan 31, 2004 New, February 1, 2004
    • Chinese official to tour France's site for ITER project China's deputy science minister, Yan Hua-Liu, will visit France's proposed site for the future international energy project ITER, the ministry of research said here Monday. Agence France Presse New, January 29, 2004
    • China supports France in ITER project BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- China will support France as the site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)project, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue here Thursday. New, January 29, 2004
    • US rebuffs Chirac's call to end China arms embargo The State Department said it viewed bans on arms sales to China by the United States and EU as complimentary, and did not agree they should be lifted. Agence France Presse New, January 29, 2004
    • ITER site contest counts down Another ministerial meeting is scheduled for late February when participants hope to agree on a site for the project. Daily Yomiuri New, January 29, 2004
    • US "could change" support for Japan on nuclear fusion project The United States "could change" its support for Japan's bid to host a massive nuclear fusion project if technical criteria work in favour of a rival French site, President George W. Bush's scientific advisor said here Thursday. "As more knowledge becames available, we expect our representatives from the Department of Energy to analyse it and if they come to a different conclusion, then I expect them to make a recommendation to the president based on the facts as they see them, " Marburger said. Space Daily/AFP Dr Claudie Haigneré, minister for research and new technologies met with Dr. John H. MARBURGER, scientific Adviser of American President George BUSH on January 29 in Paris. New, January 29, 2004
    • Japan to offer compromise on ITER fusion project, but only up to a point Technology minister Takeo Kawamura said Wednesday that Japan is ready to compromise in the battle to host an international nuclear fusion project -- but said it will stick to its position that the reactor itself should be based in Japan. Japan Times New, January 29, 2004
    • Japan confident of winning colossal nuclear fusion project EU Business New, January 28, 2004
    • Japan May Consider Sharing Fusion Project NewsDay New, January 28, 2004
    • “Now nuclear physicists in Russia and other countries participating in the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) project have an opportunity to offer technical solutions for building it(ITER) in two countries &endash; France and Japan.” TASS New, January 28, 2004
    • A working group consisting of members from each ITER party will meet in Naka, Japan January 29-30 to develop proposals for a "broadened program" as requested in the official communique from the December 20 Ministerial meeting. This is in preparation for a Ministerial level meeting in mid-February to decide on the locations for ITER construction and support activities. New, January 27, 2004
    • Let's Not Fight Over ITER by Hiroshi Hirabayashi, Japanese Ambassador to France in LeMonde New, January 23, 2004
    • Japan wants ITER data center in France, reactor in Japan Japan Times New, January 23, 2004
    • French Minister Seeks Spanish Support for ITER Energy Project French Research Minister Claudie Haignere headed to Spain on Wednesday to whip up support for the European Union's bid to host the ITER experimental nuclear fusion reactor project, diplomats said. EU Business January 21, 2004
    • South Korea Could Support French Site for Nuclear Fusion Project: French Minister South Korea could reconsider its position and support the choice of a French site for the international multi-billion dollar experimental nuclear fusion project ITER, said Haignere, minister for research. EU Business January 21, 2004
    • Japan, France Vying for Korea’s Nuclear Project France and Japan recently have sent high-ranking officials to South Korea, since it will play the key role in the selection of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) site which will begin construction in 2005 with an estimated cost of $10 billion. Korea Times January 20, 2004
    • Japanese minister draws blank in Moscow talks on nuclear fusion plant Yevgeny Velikhov, Russia's delegate to the international council that is to arbitrate between two the bids, said that Russian and Japanese officials meeting in Moscow had "decided to make the final decision at the next meeting of the ITER Council in Vienna in February," the ITAR-TASS news agency said. AFP January 17, 2004
    • Russia says 'no' to nuclear fusion plant in JapanRussia on Thursday declined Japanese pleas to back Tokyo's bid to host a disputed nuclear fusion reactor as the global contest for the multi-billion project threatened to hurt relations among the participants. Reuters January 15, 2004
    • Nuclear fusion row going critical The debate over whether to build the world's biggest nuclear fusion facility in France or Japan is going critical. The European Union says it could pull out of the international project and build its own, if the project goes to Japan. But the US has firmly backed Japan as its preferred site. New Scientist January 15, 2004
    • EU Says It Could Go It Alone On Fusion Reactor A European Commission spokesman said yesterday that the EU has the resources in money and scientific knowhow to build independently an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 15, 2004
    • Japan's science minister seeking support for nuclear fusion site Japan's science and technology minister Takeo Kawamura left Wednesday on a whirlwind tour of South Korea, Russia and China to drum up support for Japan's proposed site for a multi-billion dollar experimental nuclear fusion project, officials said. January 14, 2004
    • Paris urges EU to build fusion centre alone The French government has suggested that Europe should go ahead and build the world's biggest nuclear fusion research centre on its own - a move that threatens to tear apart a global scientific effort bringing together the US, China, Japan and the EU. January 14, 2004
    • US supports Japanese bid to host ITER as France urges Europe to go it alone CORDIS, the European Community's Research and Development Information Service. January 13, 2004
    • EU Says Feasible to Go It Alone on ITER Reactor Reuters Jan 13, 2004 January 13, 2004
    • France clings to Fusion Dreams Paris is demanding that Europe go ahead with plans to build a nuclear fusion plant,even if it misses out on international funding. January 13, 2004
    • Politics threatens to dominate nuclear fusion debate China View January 13, 2004
    • French Prime Minister Endangers ITER Negotiations to Solve Domestic Brain Drain Crisis According to an article in LeMonde "The government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin runs the risk of France becoming, in 10 or 15 years' time, absent or marginalised in [scientific] fields where Japan, the United States and later China and India will reign supreme." January 12, 2004
    • France says Europe could make ITER reactor itself Europe could build a disputed experimental nuclear fusion reactor on its own, if the multinational joint venture promoting it decided to give the contract to Japan, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said on Monday. January 12, 2004
    • US backs Japanese site to host nuclear fusion project or PDF of AFP article Secretary Abraham is visiting Asia (Japan, China, Philippines and Australia). In a speech to the Japanese Keidanren (January 12, 2004) on Jan 9, Abraham strongly endorsed the Japanese site for ITER
    • ITER: Washington supports the Japanese candidature , "I am proud to affirm that the United States vigorously supports the construction of ITER in Japan." Secretary Abraham. LeMonde, Jan 9, 2004 January 9, 2004
    • EU slams US support for Japan to host nuclear fusion project , EU Business January 9, 2004
    • No Meeting of the Minds on Fusion Megaproject Science Jan 9, 2004 January 8, 2004
    • A working group consisting of members from each ITER party is meeting in Garching, Germany to develop proposals for a "broadened program" as requested in the official communique from the December 20 Ministerial meeting. January 8, 2004
    • Japan's proposed budget for JY 2004 (starting April 1, 2004) contains ~$25M for ITER promotion (~$4M in JY 2003) and ~$484M for continued construction of the Shinkansen to Aomori, the ITER site. Japanese Education Scientific Minister of State, Kawamura, will visit Korea, China and Russia in the middle of January to attract international support for siting the experimental reactor ITER at Rokkasho village in Aomori prefecture. also Reuters article January 8,2004
    • Canada Announces Withdrawal from ITER ITER Web Site January 8, 2004
    • Secretary Abraham Opening Remarks DOE web site or PDF of Remarks New, December 20, 2003
    • Joint Communique from the Ministerial Meeting for ITER New, December 20, 2003
    • Decision on nuclear fusion site put off Japan Times web site or PDF of article Posted, December 28, 2003
    • Communique from the French Minister of Research and New Technologies Google Translation New, December 20, 2003
    • Decision on the choice of the site for ITER reactor deferred LeMonde in French or English Translation New, December 20, 2003
    • Fusion Project Decision Delayed BBC web site or PDF of article New, December 20,2003
    • Decison on Site of Fusion Project Postponed Reuters web site or PDF of article New, December 20, 2003
    • Ministers delay decision on site for 10-billion-dollar nuclear fusion reactor AFP web site or PDF of article New, December 20,2003
  • Science Ministers from the ITER parties begin to gather in Washington for a meeting hosted by Secretary Abraham to decide the site for ITER, and initial the ITER Joint Implementing Agreement on Cost Sharing and nomination of a Director General for ITER. The meeting will start at 9:00 am at the Hyatt Regency Reston, VA. Some recent articles:
    • BBC December 19, 2003,Decision Day for Fusion Project Japan site said to be favored.(pdf) New, December 19, 2003
    • LeMonde December 18, 2003, Europe et Japon au coude-à-coude pour accueillir le réacteur ITER in French or English translation by Google , Parties said to be split between France and Japan (pdf) New, December 19, 2003
  • Common Message from Preparatory Meeting for Ministerial Meeting for ITER: Delegations from Canada, China, European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States met in Vienna on 4-5th December, 2003 to advance the ITER negotiations. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the IAEA; the meeting was moderated by IAEA Deputy Director General Werner Burkart. The delegations have achieved a major milestone in the ITER negotiations, namely, full coverage of cost-sharing for the two candidate sites in the European Union and Japan. The delegations are confident that this achievement provides the basis for reaching consensus on the preferred site at the Ministerial Meeting for ITER. The Ministerial Meeting for ITER will take place on 20th December, 2003 in Washington, DC.New, December 5, 2003
  • Europe and Japan Lock Horns in Battle to host ITER , Nature Dec 4, 2003, (300kB, pdf) New, December 3, 2003
  • December 4, 2003, P-2.5 meeting of Vice-Science Ministers of ITER Parties in Vienna, to agree on an international site for ITER, procurement allocation, cost sharing and a Director General. If successful, then:
  • December 20, 2003, Meeting at the Ministerial level in Washington, DC hosted by Secretary Abraham to initial the ITER Joint Implementing Agreement., If successful, then:
  • July 2003 ratification of ITER Joint Implementing Agreement by all parties, and construction is initiated.
• France Chosen as European site for ITER (Provisional Minutes of the Council of European Research Ministers-BRUSSELS) -The Council decided unanimously to amend the Commission's negotiating directives on the establishment of an international framework concerning the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) authorising the Commission to put forward Cadarache (France) as the European candidate site. The Council also decided unanimously that the ITER European legal entity will be located in Spain. The negotiations on ITER are currently being undertaken by Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. The next meeting of the Parties to the ITER agreement will be held on 4 December. Three candidates for hosting this site, Cadarache (France), Clarington (Canada) and Rokkasho (Japan) have been put forward.
  • E.U. Puts France in Play for Fusion Sweepstakes Science, Dec 3,2003 (84kB, pdf)New, December 3, 2003
  • Council reaches a unanimous decision on Europe's ITER candidate site CORDIS, Nov 27, 2003
  • Europe chooses France for nuclear-reactor bid Nature Science Update, Nov 27, 2003
  • Provisional Minutes of Council of Ministers Meeting Nov 27,2003 (68kB, pdf)
  • EU Suggests French Site for Fusion Project Reuters Nov 26, 2003
  • The Commission is pleased with the agreement of the Council on ITER European Commission Press ReleaseNov 26, 2003
  • Fusion nucléaire: la France défendra l'UE pour le projet Iter france-info.coms, Nov 26, 2003
  • Europe puts France up for Reactor BBC 1, Nov 26, 2003
  • Iter: Nicole Fontaine se rÈjouit "infiniment" du choix du site de Cadarache Nov 26, 2003