24th °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Council | En route to First Plasma, 63% of the work is done
The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Council has met for the twenty-fourth time since the signature of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Agreement. Representatives from China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States reviewed project status, performance metrics and the organizational changes that are planned to help the project prepare for the start of machine assembly next year.
Representatives from every °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Member convene in the Council Chamber on the fifth floor of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Headquarters for an intensive two-day program.
The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Council is responsible for the promotion and overall direction of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization and has the authority to appoint the Director-General, to approve the Overall Project Cost (OPC) and Overall Project Schedule (OPS), to approve the annual budget, and to decide on the participation of additional states or organizations in the project. Meetings are held at least twice a year, with representatives from every °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Member.
The two-day meeting this week (19-20 June) started off with the renewal of Director-General Bernard Bigot's contract. In keeping with the decision of the Council in January 2019, Director-General Bernard Bigot officially formalized his acceptance of a second five-year term (beginning 5 March 2020) by signing a contract with Council Chair Arun Srivastava.
Heads of Delegation from each °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Member congratulate Director-General Bigot on the signature his contract.
Another important point of business was examining the internal organizational chart proposed for the next phase of project execution—machine assembly. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Council approved the reorganization, which reflects the transition from an engineering/manufacturing project focus to one that facilitates the execution of assembly, installation and construction on site. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization plans to have the new organization in place for January 2020, just before Assembly Phase I begins officially with the installation of the cryostat base in the Tokamak Building (March 2020).
Performance metrics show that, today, project execution to First Plasma stands at 63 percent. More than 70 percent of the buildings and infrastructure required for First Plasma are in place on the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ construction site in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France.