India welcomed as seventh ITER partner
India has been unanimously and enthusiastically accepted as a full member of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) project. The decision was announced at a meeting between delegations in South Korea on 6 December. As highlighted in a joint statement by the ITER delegations, the participation of India means that half of the world's population is now represented by the project. ITER is intended to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of controlled nuclear fusion as a future source of energy. The meeting also saw the announcement of the nominated Director-General for the future ITER Organisation, Ambassador Kaname Ikeda from Japan. A series of working level meetings held in the run-up to the 6 December meeting were able to find agreement on the only remaining issues, including decision-making, intellectual property and management within the ITER Organisation, as well as on adjustments to the sharing of resources following India's accession. The way is therefore open for negotiations to be concluded at political level.
Countries
India