“Can’t you make an exception?” - The ITER project and cooperation in the name of science

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a project with 35 members, one of which is Russia, that has as its main goal to develop nuclear fusion as a source of clean energy. The odd part is that it’s still operating despite the obvious tension between the countries of the West and Moscow.

(Image sources: Klymenko Time and Ansys)

After the annexation of Crimeia and the ongoing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, ITER's leadership, which was founded by 35 countries, discussed how to respond to the very delicate matter, but in the end it was decided not to take any action towards leaving Moscow out of the project for it not to be in jeopardy. Although that was the official decision, Russia's involvement in the project has been affected by Western sanctions and while the situation has been stable so far, there is a worry in the air that any further escalation of tensions could impact the project in the future. These same sanctions are “light” considering ITER’s constitution has no legal mechanism (clause) to ban a member. And to add to this matter it is important to state the extraordinarily significant role of Russia in this international project, which is to provide with renowned scientists that are heavily involved in the research, and also to provide with the forefront technology that’s being used. This according to Alain Bécoulet, who stated the importance of the deliveries from Russia in 2022, including the aluminum bars feeding the reactor with a huge electric current and the oloidal field coil.

  ITER, officially founded in 2007, is often described as the most ambitious and, for that matter, significant energy project in the world. It is located in Southern France and the team foresees a massive success that could imply the future of global energy security like never seen before. But how does it work and what does it imply? Nuclear fusion, which occurs in the center of stars, involves injecting hot plasma into a device and confining it with magnetic fields to release huge amounts of energy. The ultimate goal of ITER is to test this same nuclear fusion and claim it as a practicable source of carbon-free energy that is supposed to be minimally radioactive. Because of this complex goal and with the added disagreements between the various country members, this project has been through a number of controversies like delays, and even concerns about safety.

(Image source: Getty Images)

  Ukraine’s Council of Young Scientists,  in the beggining of 2022 right after the war officially started, called for Russia to be banned from ITER. Other international scientific bodies such as the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), have completely cut ties with Russia and publicly condemned its invasion of Ukraine but, as we can see, ITER hasn’t. The director of science in this project, american Tim Luce, explained why to CBS in october of 2022: "We have a charge. We have members. We're a treaty organization. We don't take a position on political stance. We have a purpose, (...) On the other hand, it's good to be mindful that we are a bridge for communication. We have a common need. We have a common means to talk to each other. And so, this is what fusion has been in the past: It was a vehicle for political entities who didn't agree on much else to have a way of talking to each other."

(Image Source: iter.org)

There are certainly many challenges that “come with the territory” of working with a country (Russia) that’s currently in an ongoing conflict, in this case with Ukraine. But even though this is the unfortunate scenario, the project has been moving forward because the focus is clearly on technology, science and the future of nuclear energy, and rather less on foreign policy (although it would be hard to ignore and move past it). The fact that the project gives such a strong emphasis to international collaboration ultimately leads to a need for cooperation, from engineers to chairmen, that we don’t see when we look at other issues. This makes the project even more unique while looking at the international agenda. The situation in Ukraine simply highlights the challenges of working on an international scientific project like ITER with members who may have differing political priorities but have to work together in the end to make it work when the pieces are joint in France.

(Image source: Getty Images)

Overall, the ITER nuclear fusion project represents a unique opportunity for international collaboration and scientific advancement for its potential to provide a source of clean energy that could help to address climate change. Despite the challenges caused by Russia's foreign policy and other controversies, the project remains focused on its goal of developing nuclear fusion as a viable source of energy, in some part because of the crucial role that Russia and its resources like tech and personnel plays . As the project continues to move forward, it will be important to address any concerns about cost and safety while also maintaining the international cooperation that has been so critical to its success.

We can look at it and say there’s some sort of selective blindness towards the issue (the unfair invasion of Ukraine) by the members of the project. Or we can look at it and say that it is a choice, but a choice that was made for the sake of nuclear energy and even for the future of the important separation between science and politics.