Fusion project funding dispute threatens Horizon 2020 (ITER)

EurActiv ^ | 03 January 2012

[Olog-hai]

An ongoing tussle between the EU institutions over the future funding of a controversial nuclear fusion project—which will come under the spotlight during the Danish EU presidency—threatens to hack into the European Commission’s €85-billion ($111-billion) Horizon 2020 budget proposal.

The funding dispute centers around the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project based at the Cadarache research facility in southern France. Construction is to begin this year.

The ITER reactor aims to replicate the kind of fusion that occurs in the sun, creating cheap and abundant energy that does not rely on fossil fuels. …

The Commission fears that including ITER within the EU's general budget will jeopardize its proposed €85 billion framework program for research, since the money would largely be extracted from the existing research proposals.

A spokesman for the EU Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship told EurActiv: "We proposed to take ITER out of the MFF because we believe this is the best way to ensure continuing financial support for ITER without exposing the EU budget to unexpected rising costs of such projects. It is now for member states to react to our proposal. Let's give them the necessary time to agree on what is the widest EU issue to negotiate, then we'll see.” …

[muawiyah]

The fraud called “Contained Fusion” continues to suck down BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars/euros. But some folks are starting to wake up to the fact this boondoggle has delivered nothing in the last 60 years.

[NewHampshireDuo]

As my plasma dynamics prof said around 1971 - plasma fusion power will always be a few years away.

[Tenacious 1]

I'm not up on the challenges and thought fusion was accomplished long ago. Are you just referring to the contained and controlled process as a nuclear power generator?

If so, what are the challenges and failures associated with Fusion Nuclear Reactors?

Thank you for any insights.

[GraceG]

Thorium LFTR reactors are a lot more feasible and they actually built one that worked in the 1960’s and 1970 at oak ridge.

The Chinese are now building one and we are being left behind with dreams of Fusion dancing in our heads while the chi-coms laugh at us.

Don’t worry we will be buying LFTR reactors from China in about 10 years. And since they control most of the rare earth mining they will be happy to sell us fuel for them too.....

[muawiyah]

Everybody has thorium. Rare earths frequently occur in the same areas

[NewHampshireDuo]

You are correct, fusion as a process is actually very simple and well within the reach of even hobbyists if you have a 30,000 volt power supply, a simple vacuum system and a small bottle of deuterium. However, using fusion to produce more energy than is consumed by the apparatus and on a continuing basis is the elusive part.

[GraceG]

[ Everybody has thorium. Rare earths frequently occur in the same areas ]

We have TONS of the stuff and at rare earth mines it is considered a “Waste” product, and the EPA is and what will be limiting us from mining it for ourselves should we have Thorium Reactors made here or in China...

[muawiyah]

We just reopened a rare earth mine in California. There are other sites though. China shut down a bunch of their rare earth mines that had not been mined responsibly.

Other folks are opening such mines.