ITER fusion project names French nuclear official as new chief

ITER, the €13-billion international fusion reactor under construction in France, has chosen Bernard Bigot, chairman of France’s Atomic and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA), as its next director general. Bigot will replace Osamu Motojima and will begin his 5-year term next June.

Bigot, 64, studied physics and chemistry and defines himself as a nuclear expert. He has held senior positions in government, academia, and industry and was appointed as head of the CEA in 2009. With a staff of more than 16,000, CEA is a technology research organization and is responsible for maintaining France’s nuclear deterrent.

Despite such strong experience, taking on leadership of ITER is not an enviable position. The project is an enormous undertaking involving seven international partners-China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States-with components being manufactured in hundreds of plants all across the globe. The project is years behind schedule and hugely over budget. Motojima, the second ITER director general, was heavily criticized in an external management review completed earlier this year.

“Mr Bigot has had a long and distinguished career and a history of close involvement with ITER-he was one of the high-level supporters at the time France applied to host the ITER Project and has been the High Representative for ITER implementation in France. He is an experienced manager of large projects, a leader who is able to find common ground, an excellent communicator, and he is highly respected in the fusion community,” Motojima said in a statement today.

Bigot said: “I am fully aware of the large responsibility that it will be to lead the ITER Project as it enters a new phase. I am deeply honoured by the trust of the ITER Council and will do my utmost to fulfil the expectations of the Council and of all the people involved in ITER.”

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3 Comments on "ITER fusion project names French nuclear official as new chief"

Sugar Seam on Fri, 21st Nov 2014 8:54 am 



the energy source of the future… and always will be…

Kenz300 on Fri, 21st Nov 2014 9:03 am 



Nuclear energy — the new snake oil salesmen……

Sold as “too cheap to meter” — now found to be to expensive to produce safely and too environmentally damaging to exist………

The world needs to learn from the disasters at Chernobly and Fukishima…….. Both these disasters continue today with no end in sight.

Davy on Fri, 21st Nov 2014 9:10 am 



Dream on Sugar daddy.