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US favors Japan over France for International Fusion Reactor
Scientists are meeting in Washington to decide where to build the worldâs first big nuclear fusion reactor. Nuclear fusion holds out the promise of virtually limitless pollution-free energy - but the reactor will take 10 years to build. The multi-billion dollar project is likely to be based either in Cadarache in France or in Rokkasho-mura in Japan. But the US is opposing the French option because of Franceâs opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Yup. Chirac and de Villepin have only begun to reap the rewards of stabbing Powell in the back .... Member countries of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) project have been gathering in the US to make a final decision on the location of the project. The Japanese site has the advantages of proximity to a port, a ground of solid bedrock and a nearby US military base. The French site offers an existing research facility and a more moderate climate. The Iter consortium consists of the European Union, United States, Russia, China, Canada, Japan and South Korea. The experts are supposed to reach a consensus based on objective criteria, but observers say that the wider political context may play a part. You donât say - geopolitics affecting decisions about advanced technology and an energy source that could replace oil??? Whoâd a thunk it? A French government envoy, Pierre Lellouche, said "very intense" talks were being held at a high-level before the meeting. The European Union is backing France - but Canada, China, Russia, South Korea, the United States and Tokyo itself are reported to be favouring Japan. Interesting range of companies arrayed against France. Watch to see how Japan emerges as a power in the Asian sphere again, between this (if they get it) and their participation in Iraq and in an anti-missile defense. The US, in particular, has raised objections to the French option, citing its opposition to the Iraq invasion. "We have the structure, scientific and technical environment to ensure that this scheme can start up with competence, expertise and solid safety guarantees," French Research Minister Claudie Haignere said. "scheme" - he said it, not me! "If our site is chosen, Japan will cover the costs that are needed," said Hidekazu Tanaka, a senior official of the Japanese Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ministry. Ouch - hitting the French where it hurts .... plus Japan has a much better track record than France in both basic research and turning research into useable technology. Iter is the boldest nuclear initiative since the Manhattan Project - the effort to build the first atom bomb, says BBC News Onlineâs science editor David Whitehouse. It would also be the worldâs largest international co-operative research and development project after the International Space Station. Scientists say it will be the first fusion device to produce thermal energy at the level of an electricity-producing power station. Its goal will be to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power for 500 seconds or longer during each individual fusion experiment and, in doing so, demonstrate essential technologies for a commercial reactor. But they are all agreed that taming the power of the Sun will not be easy. The superhot gas in which the fusion takes place is notoriously difficult to control. The gas, termed a plasma, has to be kept hot and contained for fusion to take place. So far, no one has achieved a prolonged self-sustaining fusion event. Advocates of fusion power point out that if they succeed, there is an almost limitless supply of power available because the deuterium atoms on which it would be based can be derived from seawater. Posted by: rkb 2003-12-20 |
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