What is EFDA?

Magnetic confinement fusion research in Europe is aimed at demonstrating that nuclear fusion is a viable future energy option. Achieving this aim requires a sustained, long-term and large scale research effort, which would be impossible to sustain for any single European country. That is why all the Member states of the European Union collaborate in a single European research programme, which is coordinated by the European Commission. The Swiss Federation is also part of this programme.

On the European level, the so-called EURATOM Treaty is the international legal framework under which Member States cooperate in the fields of nuclear fission and fusion research. Fusion research organisations in the Member states have so-called "Contracts of Association" with the European Commission (which represents Euratom), in which the long-term commitments and work plans are laid down. This has lead to a research programme that is coordinated and integrated on a European level. Named after the Contracts of Association, the national fusion research organisations and institutions are known as Associations.

In 1999, the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) was created to provide a framework for national fusion research parties to participate in collective activities, such as the Joint European Torus (JET), the world´s largest fusion experiment. EFDA is an agreement among all the Euratom Fusion Associations to strengthen their coordination and collaboration. It was established as a framework contract between Euratom and the Associations. EFDA runs from 1999 until at least the end of 2007, and could be extended.

The goal of EFDA is to develop the necessary scientific and technical basis in European research and industry for the construction of ITER and a prototype fusion power plant, and to strengthen the European capabilities for international cooperation. To reach this goal, EFDA coordinates the technological work carried out by European fusion labs and industry, and coordinates the European contributions to international collaborations such as ITER.

EFDA is part of a Long-Term programme of co-operation covering all the activities in the field of fusion research by magnetic confinement in the European Union and in the Swiss Confederation.

The EFDA activities

Figure 1:The interior of the Joint
European Torus

EFDA is focused on joint activities of its partners. The first main activity of EFDA is the exploitation of the Joint European Torus (JET), world´s largest fusion experiment, which is located near Oxford (United Kingdom).

Figure 2:Toroidal field model
coil, produced in Europe

The second main activity of EFDA is the coordination and support of fusion-related research & development activities carried out by the Associations and by European Industry.

Figure 3:The ITER device

The third activity of EFDA is to coordinate the European contribution to large scale international collaborations, such as the ITER-project, which has the EU, China, the Russian Federation, Korea, Japan, India and the US as its partners.