FRENCH REACTIONS TO ITER SUCCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 005298

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES, STAS, EUR/WE
DOE FOR OFFICE OF SCIENCE ORBACH/HARDING/VANEK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2020
TAGS: TRGY ENRG ECON PGOV FR KNUC
SUBJECT: FRENCH REACTIONS TO ITER SUCCESS

REF: MARSEILLE 063

Classified By: EST COUNSELOR ROBERT W. DRY FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d).


1. (C) Summary: French officials are almost uniformly
positive about succeeding in the negotiations to secure the
south of France as the home for the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Despite claims -
many by French science bloggers -- that French
disproportionate, financing of ITER will crowd out French
scientific research in non-fusion disciplines, the French
government perspective is clearly to the contrary. French
officials say that building ITER in the south of France will
not strain the research budget, and in any event will
stimulate not only fusion research, but also R&D in the
advanced materials, computer, and robotics disciplines. Some
suggest the Government in its enthusiasm for the project may
have oversold, it. While ITER will create substantial
numbers of well-paying jobs, once construction is complete
new French jobs are expected to number in the hundreds, not
thousands. France,s principal ITER negotiator strongly
welcomes the U.S. proposal to bring India into the ITER
partnership, the sooner the better. End Summary.

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French ITER Costs Overblown Say French Officials
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2. (C) In the protracted negotiations over the site for
ITER, France agreed as host for the project that it would
provide an additional 10% (above its ordinary share to the
EU) of total costs estimated at 10 billion euros. Back home,
some French researchers balked arguing that the costly
project - in a tight budgetary environment - would crowd out
government-sponsored research into other just as meaningful
or more meaningful scientific disciplines. EST counselor
explored this question with several prominent French
contacts.

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Government Science Community Generally Supportive
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3. (C) A senior French Research Ministry officer told EST
counselor that the ITER costs France would bear were
significant, but not particularly large when defrayed over
the time horizon of the project. He said that the
extraordinary costs to France would amount to a billion Euros
over a 35-year (sic) period. Of this, the central government
would provide 50% and the remainder would be borne by
regional/local government in France,s southern region that
would directly benefit from the project. He said that, for
example, the annual ITER cost to the central government would
be much smaller than the budget for the new Agence Nationale
de la Recherche (a recently created entity modeled on the
U.S.,s NSF) that stands at 350 million Euros/annum and is to
be raised to 700 Euros by 2006. He claimed that what is more
important than the financial commitment is the need for the
French/EU role in the project to be "exemplary," assuring
that procedures developed by the six ITER partners are
executed properly and the project is built on time and on
budget. While he also confirmed that a national debate would
take place regarding the project, he assured EST counselor
the results of the debate would not alter in any way French
decisions already taken on ITER.

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ITER, An Excellent Model for Future Collaboration
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4. (C) Other French commentators concurred. French Deputy
Claude Birraux, a technologist,, told EST counselor he
welcomed ITER, claiming that it was an excellent project and
that the ITER international partnership model might serve as
the vehicle for developing other technological projects in
the future, such as Generation IV reactor development. He
seemed unphased regarding the additional costs of the project
to France. During a recent trip to Bordeaux, EST counselor
raised similar questions with the Claude Delmas, the director
of the Institute of Chemistry and Condensed Matter of
Bordeaux University I. Delmas considered that the highest
priority for research - above and beyond even the topics for
which his institute was responsible - was energy. While not
an expert in energy science, he thought it critical that the
world collaborate on finding a solution to the energy
dilemma, especially given climate change imperatives. In
short, he felt that whatever the costs, fusion research was
worthwhile.

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More Fission, Not Fusion, Please
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5. (C) Edouard Brezin, the president of the French Academy
of Sciences, provided a lone, but strident, contrary view of
ITER. In a recent meeting with NSF Europe representative and
EST counselor, Brezin questioned fusion research altogether.
A particle physicist himself, he saw little utility for the
project in France claiming that the materials research - a
part of the project,s development requirements -- will prove
more valuable in the end than the fusion work itself. He
claimed that ITER will be but one of many huge fusion
projects required in the years ahead before any serious
industrial concept can be developed for fusion-based
electrical power generation. He thought that France should
concentrate on what it does best: fission research. "Given
the amount of money and effort we have put into fission, we
should be the last country to need fusion," he said. Indeed,
he thought that France should proceed "urgently" with
building another fast breeder reactor system. Such a system
would ease the nuclear waste disposal problem by burning
plutonium. Finally, he said that ITER should not be used
"as an alibi for doing nothing to benefit the climate." Nor
should ITER be considered an answer to climate change. Now,
is the time for measures which should be taken to address the
climate, he said. "ITER,s benefits might serve the
interests of our great, great, grandchildren...."

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A Six-Plus (India) Partnership?
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6. (C) EST counselor also spoke with Bernard Bigot, High
Commissioner for Atomic Research, at CEA, essentially
France,s day-to-day ITER negotiator. Regarding criticism of
ITER, Bigot said it has always been in the background in
France. Such discussion now resonates because the EU,s site
for the project won in the negotiations and because the
debate about the government,s contribution to research
(centered on the so-called "Research Bill") has not been
completed. Bigot claimed there will be many research
spin-offs besides those in the fusion discipline, including
in computer science and robotics and materials research and
development. He was confident that the project can be built
on time and on schedule. While aware that the U.S. had
internal questions about fusion research priorities (the
Boehlert Amendment),he suggested that an internal debate in
the U.S. would be a useful one and he felt confident that
U.S. fusion scientists would rally around ITER. Bigot was
pleased to learn that the U.S. had indicated it would be
supportive of India,s participation in ITER as a full
partner. He had visited Indian fusion research facilities
within the past year and claimed Indian research and
scientists were impressive. In short, the Indians had much
to offer, he said. He added that in a recent meeting between
the EU and Japan in which the question of India,s membership
as a full ITER partner was raised, Japan favored delaying
consideration of India,s entry because it would make meeting
the demanding schedule of the fall ITER agenda very
difficult, if not impossible. Bigot claims he argued against
this view saying that decisions will be taken regarding ITER
responsibilities in the fall meetings and that Indian
participation would benefit the distribution of ITER
responsibilities and not unduly slow the agenda. It was not
clear whether Bigot,s position reflects the EU one.

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Comment
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7. (C) While hardly a random sampling, EST counselor,s
meetings with French officials highlighted French pride in
succeeding in the difficult negotiations over the site for
ITER. The success in the ITER site negotiations is in
contrast to a number of recent GOF failures - the EU
referendum, the 2012 Olympics bid, and the continuing high
unemployment problem. Even though France will provide
significant additional funding as ITER host, no official
characterized financing as a major impediment. All but the
president of the National Academy of Sciences were eager to
see the project proceed forthwith. The French negotiator is
pleased the U.S. seeks to bring India into the ITER
partnership and urges that India be admitted as soon as
practicable. End Comment.
STAPLETON