A Korean corporation will additionally supply core components and equipment worth 187 billion won for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the ITER International Organization and the ITER Korea Project Team signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the second supply of the ITER power supply device on the 19th in Cadarache, France.
ITER is a large-scale international cooperation R&D project aimed at scientifically demonstrating the feasibility of nuclear fusion energy, a future clean energy source. It is an international thermonuclear experimental reactor with a capacity of 500 MW, currently being constructed in southern France's Cadarache. Korea is producing and procuring nine key devices.
Korea has completed the first procurement of power supply devices for ITER, and due to changes in the ITER project schedule, the need for additional power supply devices has arisen, resulting in an additional order of approximately 82 billion won. The ITER power supply device is a power conversion device that supplies current to a total of 48 superconducting coils.
A Ministry of Science and ICT official noted, "We expect that the domestic corporations participating in the first procurement will re-engage in procurement and that their design, production, and operational capabilities for related technologies will be enhanced," and added, "This will lay the foundation for Korea to establish itself as a leading country in the field of nuclear fusion projects and next-generation energy industries both domestically and internationally."
Earlier, on the 12th, a memorandum of understanding was signed for a high-voltage power supply device worth 88 billion won, and in July, another memorandum of understanding will be signed for a hydrogen storage container device for the SDS neutral particle beam worth 17 billion won.
Jung Taek-ryeol, the Director of Public Fusion Research Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "With this order, Korea will utilize its advanced design, production technology, and system integration capabilities accumulated in the field of ITER power supply devices to expand its leading role in the global technology ecosystem," and added, "We will actively support not only securing leadership in core technologies but also strengthening domestic innovation capabilities through the cultivation of specialized personnel and enhancing international cooperation, thereby positioning ourselves as a 'nuclear fusion technology powerhouse.'"