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The JET Joint Undertaking 



JET, the Joint European Torus, is an important experiment in three respects: 



• as an experiment in fusion physics; 



• as an experiment in European collaboration; 



• as an experiment in project organisation. 



JET as an Experiment in Fusion Physics 



JET is one of three large tokamaks in the world: TFTR in the United States, JET in Europe, and JT-60 in 

 Japan. TFTR was the first to start operating in December 1982, followed closely by JET in June 1983. JT-60 

 had its first plasma in April 1985. 



The main features of the three tokamaks are illustrated in Fig. 1. JET has the largest dimensions, the longest 

 pulse time and will operate at the highest plasma currents. In fact, in June 1985, JET reached a plasma current 

 of 5 million amperes, a level which actually exceeds the maximum performance specified. 



The total cost of the project from the start of construction in 1978 to the scheduled completion of its scientific 

 programme at the beginning of the 1990s will in round terms be $1 billion at today's prices. Of the total, about 

 half will be capital costs, a quarter persoimel costs, and the remaining quarter other operating costs. 



About one-third of the total was spent in the construction phase, at a cost that was only some 8 per cent above 

 the original estimate made in 1975. Moreover, the first plasma was achieved within 25 days of the original 

 five year schedule. The Project has thus proceeded very much to cost and to time. This is a creditable achieve- 

 ment bearing in mind the developments in the meantime in the underlying physics. 



JET as an Experiment in European Collaboration 



JET is the largest element in the Fusion Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), 



one of the European Communities. Its funding is divided as follows (see Fig. 2 for additional details): 



• SWo from the general budget of Euratom, which is financed by the ten member states of the European 



Communities, but, which as far as JET is concerned, includes contributions to the Community from 

 Sweden and Switzerland; 



• 10% from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, which, as the Host Organisation, provides 



technical, administrative and general services to the Joint Undertaking; 



• 1 0%from those Members of the JET Joint Undertaking having Contraas of Association with Euratom, 



and divided in proportion to the contribution from Euratom towards the cost of their Association 



contracts. 

 As part of the Euratom Fusion Programme, JET operates under the procedures of the European Communities. 

 In brief (see Fig. 3), every three years, the Euratom Fusion Programme is the subject of a Programme Decision 

 covering a five-year period. The Programme Decision is taken by the Council of Ministers, on the basis of 

 a proposal by the Commission, after receiving the opinion of the European Parliament. In relation to the JET 

 element of the Programme, the Commission has hitherto always based its proposals closely upon the decisions 

 of the JET Council. Every year, the Budget of the European Communities is decided jointly by the Council 

 of Ministers and the European Parliament, on the basis of proposals made by the Commission. The Budget 

 proposals of the Commission include explicit provision for JET, again based on the decisions of the JET Council. 

 JET'S accounts are audited by the Court of Auditors of the European Communities. 



