What is ITER and why is PM Modi’s visit to the facility significant?

ITER is an international collaborative project aimed at building the world’s largest magnetic fusion device, designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy, according to ITER website. This is based on the same principle that powers the sun and stars.

According to ITER website, thousands of engineers and scientists have been contributing to the  ITER’s design since the idea for the international joint experiment was conceived in 1985. The project, under development since 2005, is slated to become one of the biggest international science facilities in the world. According to its current timeline, it is expected to begin deuterium-tritium fusion reactions by 2039, producing 500 MW of fusion power. ITER would not be converting the output heat energy into electricity. But its success is expected to pave the way for other machines to start using fusion energy as a regular source of electricity generation.

In southern France, the building has been underway on a 42-hectare site since 2010. In March 2020, the ITER organisation took over the central Tokamak building for the start of machine assembly. The installation of the 1,250-tonne cryostat base in May 2020 was the first major event of this new phase.

Why is ITER project significant?

Fusion is considered to be the future of energy. It is supposed to liberate the world from the perennial quest for more and more efficient sources of energy. A very small amount of raw material — deuterium and tritium nuclei to start with — can produce very large amounts of energy in a clean manner. It is also being seen as an answer to the problem of climate change because it produces zero emissions. Hence, ITER, the largest fusion reactor, holds immense significance.

How will ITER work?

According to the ITER website, the primary task of ITER is to investigate and demonstrate burning plasmas — “plasmas in which the energy of the helium nuclei produced by the fusion reactions is enough to maintain the temperature of the plasma, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for external heating”. ITER will also examine the availability and integration of technologies needed for a fusion reactor and the validity of tritium breeding module concepts that would lead in a future reactor to tritium self-sufficiency.

Who are collaborating on the project?

As many as 33 nations, including India, are collaborating on this project based in south of France. Seven ITER members — China, India, European Union, Japan, Korea, Russia and United States — have been making joint efforts for decades to build and operate the ITER experimental device. Together, they strive to bring fusion to a point where a demonstration fusion reactor can be designed.

Why is PM Modi’s visit significant?

India is among the seven ITER members contributing to the project over the last two decades. Around 200 Indian scientists, associates, and notable industry players such as  L&T, Inox India, TCS, TCE, HCL Technologies, are associated with the ITER project. PM Modi’s visit to ITER facility marks a first by any Head of State or Head of Government to ITER.

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