FYI, forwarded from Radsafe....
Jaro
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Decision on nuclear fusion reactor site put off again
VIENNA, June 18 (Kyodo) - Japan, the European Union and four other
parties failed Friday to forge an accord on which of the two rival
candidate sites in Japan and France will host an international
project to build the world's first prototype nuclear fusion reactor.
In a subcabinet-level meeting of the six parties involved in the
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, both Japan
and the European Union remained adamant about their proposals to host
the reactor, conference sources said.
Japan has proposed that it host the project in the northeastern
Japanese village of Rokkasho, while the European Union has selected
the southern French town of Cadarache as its candidate venue.
China, Russia, South Korea and the United States are the other
partners in the ITER project, estimated to require 1.3 trillion yen
over 30 years, including reactor construction and operation costs.
The six parties agreed in previous negotiations that a successful
bidder will shoulder 48 percent of the reactor's 10-year construction
costs estimated at 570 billion yen.
In the Vienna meeting, Japan expressed its readiness to raise the
share to 50 percent and also proposed shouldering half the 92 billion
yen construction costs for an ITER-related facility to be hosted by
the party failing to host the reactor.
But the EU made similar proposals and the meeting came to a
standstill, the sources said.
The Vienna meeting was held after the six parties failed to reach a
conclusion on the reactor construction site at their ministerial
meeting late last year and a subcabinet-level meeting in February.
The ITER project is aimed at creating the world's first sustained
nuclear fusion reaction, similar to the energy-producing process
taking place constantly in the sun.
[Note: reactions in the sun depend on the weak nuclear force, whereas D-T fusion in ITER-type reactors depends on the strong nuclear force : the two are not at all "similar," except for promotional propaganda purposes - Jaro]
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Japan plans bigger expense for international nuclear fusion
TOKYO, June 16 (Kyodo) - The Japanese government intends to shoulder
bigger expenses for the world's first prototype nuclear fusion
reactor, with the aim of bringing the International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor project to Japan, government sources said Wednesday.
Tokyo plans to pay half the construction costs of an experimental
facility to develop materials strong enough to withstand exposure to
neutrons that are necessary to build a nuclear fusion reactor. The
costs are estimated at 92 billion yen.
Sources familiar with the project say the European Union, which is
proposing that France hosts the ITER prototype, may make a similar offer.
Japan had already decided to raise its share to 50 percent from 48
percent to pay the overall costs of the nuclear fusion project
itself, which is about 570 billion yen.
Japan will propose the increases at a meeting of officials from the
six participating parties in ITER -- China, Europe, Japan, South
Korea, Russia and the United States -- scheduled for Friday in Vienna.