Engine with fusion. According to European ministers', it will be built in France, with due respect to Japan candidate.
For Europeans, Cadarache will be It
By Sylvestre HUET
Saturday November 27, 2004 (Release - 06:00)
The decision is " irrevocable ". The word is of the French Minister for research, François d' Aubert, with leaving the European council Friday " We decided to make Iter in Cadarache ", affirms it, whatever the exit of the negotiations which the European Commission still carries out with Japan and the United States in order to rejoin them with the project of experimental thermonuclear engine (to read below).
There the minister in vain claims not to see " any ultimatum ", the message of the European Union is clear. The mandate given to the Commission, without cut off date, is to carry out all the operations necessary to the launching of the project of which the drafting of the treaty between partners without needing a new meeting of the council. Even if the worst of the possible cases occurred, with a co-operation reduced to three: UE, Russia, China. In this dark scenario, the budget (4,7 billion euros for the ten years of construction) would be buckled by additional participations "of France (20 %), Spain and Italy" , according to Aubert. Like by the arrival of new partners like Brazil, Switzerland or India.
Bad manners. The Commission must however try to convince the maximum of partners for better sharing the cost and ensuring themselves to join together all competences. Japan would see itself offering a place of choice, with the construction of an installation of tests intended for irradiated materials and industrial contracts for Iter. Problem: the Nipponese ones badly took the European advertisement. "If Europe maintains its position of firmness and if France begins construction without any agreement of our share, we will never collaborate" , warned Satoru Ohtake, person in charge for nuclear fusion within the Japanese administration " They are bad manners. We have our pride ", it added.
A speech which hardly moves François d' Aubert, convinced by the experts of the Commissariat à l' Énergie Atomique which there will be only one machine of this type in the world. If they want to remain in the race, the Japanese and American physicists will make the voyage to Cadarache, bets it.