500 



14 



In any case, it appears most likely that each of the three programmes will 

 be confronted sooner or later with the problem of an experimental device 

 including a strong technological component. Since the construction cost of 

 a NET-like device is of the order of 2 billion dollars, the possibility 

 should be continuously discussed to reduce the cost of the overall effort 

 by a pooling of resources either on a few interdependent, complementary and 

 partially sequential machines or possibly on a single comprehensive 

 project. The EC is prepared to play a central role in the development of 

 fusion along the tokamak line. 



Whatever the scenario eventually chosen for cooperation on the next step 

 will be, the conditions for its setting up will have to be prepared by 

 years of progressively increasing cooperative activity. It is therefore 

 important to conclude and implement the agreements presently planned on a 

 bilateral basis or within the lEA and to set up close cooperation in 

 particular between the design teams of the next step devices of the three 

 programmes. This will automatically imply better coordination of the 

 programmes both in the physics and in the technology area. 



It should be pointed out that in the physics area all the three large 

 programmes are presently confronted with the very serious problem of plasma 

 heating. Cooperation on auxiliary heating systems would be extremely 

 helpful and might turn out to be necessary in order to solve this problem. 



In the technology area the preliminary developments required for the 

 construction of the next step constitute a very large amount of work. In 

 several branches the work to be done lends itself particularly well to a 

 sharing of tasks. 



In conclusion, a strengthening of cooperation would be appropriate both in 

 a short term perspective, in order to make the solution of present problems 

 easier, and in the longer term in order to prepare the conditions for 

 cooperation on the next step. 



The EC member States as well as Sweden and Switzerland will be involved in 

 this process through the EC fusion programme. Canada could bring a 

 valuable additional contribution particularly in some specific areas of 

 fusion technology. 



