ITER is one of the most ambitious nuclear fusion research and energy mega project in the world when completed it will be the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment.
This experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor is being built on a 42 hector site at Saint-Paul-lès-Durance,  southern France.

Member states
The idea of development of cleaner fusion energy for peaceful purposes through international collaboration was first proposed by then General Secretary Gorbachev of the former Soviet Union to US President Reagan.
A year later an agreement was reached and European Union (Euratom), Japan, the Soviet Union and the USA joined and conceptual design of the project began in 1988. China and South korea joined in 2003 . India Joined in 2005.

ITER Timeline

2005. Decision to site the project in France
2006. Signature of the ITER Agreement
2007. Formal creation of the ITER Organization
2007-2009. Land clearing and leveling
2010-2014. Ground support structure and seismic foundations for the Tokamak
2012. Nuclear licensing milestone: ITER becomes a Basic Nuclear Installation under French law
2014-2021*. Construction of the Tokamak Building (access for assembly activities in 2019)
2010-2021*. Construction of the ITER plant and auxiliary buildings for First Plasma
2008-2021*. Manufacturing of principal First Plasma components
2015-2021*. Largest components are transported along the ITER Itinerary
2018-2025*. Assembly phase I
2024-2025*. Integrated commissioning phase (commissioning by system starts several years earlier)
Dec 2025*. First Plasma
2035*. Deuterium-Tritium Operation begins

* The ITER Organization presented an updated overall project schedule to the Nineteenth Meeting of the ITER Council on 16-17 November 2016 based on an in-depth, bottom-up review and analysis of all aspects of manufacturing and assembly of the ITER systems, structures and components.

The ITER Council endorsed the overall project schedule, which identifies December 2025 as the earliest technically achievable date for First Plasma and 2035 as the start of Deuterium-Tritium Operation. Each Member will now go through its domestic process of obtaining approval for the associated overall project cost.

Throughout the ITER construction phase, the Council will closely monitor the performance of the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies through a series of high-level project milestones.

To be continued …

Source : ITER