Fusion Budget FPN15-18 - Leave ITER
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 3:11 pm
FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES
The Committee recommends $270,168,000 for Fusion Energy Sciences.
U.S. Contribution to ITER.-The Committee recommends no funding for the U.S. contribution to ITER.
The Committee has previously expressed and continues to remain concerned about the rising cost of the United States' participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [ITER] under construction in Cadarache, France, as well as management problems and continued delays. The United States is to pay 9.09 percent of the projects' construction costs. In 2008, the total cost share for the United States was estimated to be between $1,450,000,000 and $2,200,000,000, and is now estimated to be somewhere between $4,000,000,000 and $6,500,000,000. With declining budgets, the Committee believes funding for the contribution to ITER is crowding out other Federal science investments, including domestic fusion research, as well as high performance computing and materials science, where the United States has maintained leadership. In addition, there is no approved cost or schedule baseline for the project, and the Committee recommends not supporting a project with no specified price tag or date of completion.
For these reasons, the Committee directs the Secretary to work with the Department of State to withdraw from the ITER project. The Committee recommends no funds for the U.S. contribution to ITER.
Within the funds for Fusion Energy Sciences, the Committee recommends $2,750,000 to continue heavy ion fusion science research at the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The Committee recommends $270,168,000 for Fusion Energy Sciences.
U.S. Contribution to ITER.-The Committee recommends no funding for the U.S. contribution to ITER.
The Committee has previously expressed and continues to remain concerned about the rising cost of the United States' participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [ITER] under construction in Cadarache, France, as well as management problems and continued delays. The United States is to pay 9.09 percent of the projects' construction costs. In 2008, the total cost share for the United States was estimated to be between $1,450,000,000 and $2,200,000,000, and is now estimated to be somewhere between $4,000,000,000 and $6,500,000,000. With declining budgets, the Committee believes funding for the contribution to ITER is crowding out other Federal science investments, including domestic fusion research, as well as high performance computing and materials science, where the United States has maintained leadership. In addition, there is no approved cost or schedule baseline for the project, and the Committee recommends not supporting a project with no specified price tag or date of completion.
For these reasons, the Committee directs the Secretary to work with the Department of State to withdraw from the ITER project. The Committee recommends no funds for the U.S. contribution to ITER.
Within the funds for Fusion Energy Sciences, the Committee recommends $2,750,000 to continue heavy ion fusion science research at the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.