USA to reconsider ITER participation?

Brussels, 25 January 2002

US President Bush's science advisor has revealed that the country is reviewing its position regarding participation in the ITER international fusion project, just three years after it rejected the project as being too expensive.

The decision, announced by John Marburger III, could affect discussions on the final location of the fusion reactor, which will be built to try to produce large amounts of energy from the fusion of atoms. A final decision will be made by participants next year, with Canada or Japan favourites to land the reactor.

The US's decision to look at the project again may have had something to do with the fact that ITER's estimated costs have fallen from $10bn at the time when the USA left the project to just $4.5bn now.

CORDIS RTD-NEWS/© European Communities, 2001