Abstract: ITER: The Giant Fusion Reactor
The presentation will be about the first book published on ITER, the ongoing fusion energy megaproject―one of the most ambitious endeavours of our time (ITER: The Giant Fusion Reactor, Springer, 2020).
Written by former ITER’s communications director, the book provides for the first time an insider’s view into the world’s largest fusion reactor, which is currently under construction in southern France. The book offers a behind-the-scenes look at this controversial project, and examines the history, technology, economics and politics of this global endeavour.
The presentation will start with a short introduction about ITER and the current status of the project. It will then provide an overview of the key chapters of the book (in particular project history, cost, delays, management, opposition and next steps). The presentation will also address the communication challenges of ITER and fusion energy.
The book has already received advanced praise from several scientific and political personalities such as Raymond Lee Orbach, US Under Secretary for Science in the Department of Energy, 2006-2009: “I suspect this publication will remain the best source book on ITER and fusion for decades to come.”
Michel Claessens works at the European Commission in Brussels and is a former communications director at ITER (2011-2015). A professor at Brussels’ Free University, he authored or co-authored a dozen of books.
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