Russia to supply $139mn worth of equipment for ITER

MOSCOW, March 9. KAZINFORM Russia will supply over 100 million euros ($139mn) worth of equipment for the international ITER thermonuclear reactor, under construction in south France, the state nuclear corporation Rosatom reported. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

The ITER tokamak nuclear fusion reactor is being built by the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States in the nuclear research center of Cadarache. ITER is experimenting with nuclear fusion in an attempt to develop a clean, inexhaustible source of energy to replace fossil fuels.

Its purpose is to make a transition from plasma physics studies to full-scale fusion power plants.

"The switching equipment agreement is the most expensive of all. It is worth over 100 million euros (in 2001 prices). Switching equipment for ITER is to be produced in Russia until 2017," Rosatom said.

The agreement on the supply of equipment is to be signed in Moscow on Wednesday. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru