The Hindu Business Line : Kakodkar highlights India's role in fusion research

Ministers from China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the US signed an agreement to establish the International Fusion Energy Organisation, the organisation that will implement the ITER fusion energy project, at the Elysée Palace in Paris on Tuesday.

Fusion power

ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is a joint international research and development project that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. Fusion is the energy source of the sun and the stars. According to the ITER Web site, "fusion research is aimed at demonstrating that this energy source can be used to produce electricity in a safe and environmentally benign way, with abundant fuel resources, to meet the needs of a growing world population."

The signing ceremony was hosted by the President of the French Republic, Mr Jacques Chirac, and by the President of the European Commission, Mr José Manuel Durão Barroso.

Indian delegation

Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, who led the Indian delegation, addressed the gathering. In his speech, Dr Kakodkar stressed the need for affordable, sustainable sources of energy.

"The core challenge for development is to provide access to energy for all at affordable prices based on a technology that is acceptable from the point of resource and environmental sustainability."

Dr Kakodkar also highlighted India's contributions to the development of fusion technology.

"Our scientists have already designed and fabricated two tokamak devices, Aditya and the steady state super conducting tokamak SST 1 ... We thus bring to the table a combination of strong commitment from government and special scientific and technological skills, which are of relevance to ITER and fusion research."

Calling the signing a historic occasion, Dr Kakodkar hoped the cooperation shown on the ITER project would show the world "how it must face up to its problems and solve them."

ITER will be constructed in Europe, at Cadarache in the South of France. The first meeting of the Interim ITER Council was scheduled to take place after the signing.

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