Climate Changed
How a Tiny Widget Waylaid the World’s Biggest Science Experiment
- ITER fusion reactor supply chains disrupted by virus lockdowns
- Construction in France has continued throughout the pandemic
ITER engineers began assembling the fusion reactor in 2010.
Source: ITER
This article is for subscribers only.
It was one of the smallest pieces in the world’s biggest science project that turned into the most vexing coronavirus supply-chain hurdle for Bernard Bigot.
The 70-year-old physicist is responsible for making sure the $22 billion ITER fusion reactor in France starts running on time. His machine, using more than a million pieces sourced from 35 countries, was supposed to begin testing in five years -- at least that was the timeline before the pandemic hit.