Italian nuclear engineer serving as Director-General of the ITER Organization since 2022 — leading the New Baseline restructuring to reset the project's scope, schedule, and cost after years of delays.
Pietro Barabaschi (born 1963) is an Italian nuclear engineer who became the fourth Director-General of the ITER Organization in September 2022, succeeding Bernard Bigot following Bigot's death in May of that year. Barabaschi inherited the project at a critical juncture: ITER was facing significant technical setbacks, schedule delays measured in years, and cost overruns that had eroded confidence among the seven member parties.[1]
Before joining ITER, Barabaschi spent over two decades at Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European Union's Domestic Agency for ITER, where he served as Director and was responsible for Europe's contribution — the largest single share of the project. His deep familiarity with both the technical components and the political dynamics of ITER's procurement system gave him an unusually detailed understanding of the project's challenges.[2]
Barabaschi's defining initiative has been the New Baseline — a comprehensive restructuring of ITER's technical scope, construction sequence, schedule, and cost estimates. Presented to the ITER Council in 2024, the New Baseline acknowledged that the original plan to achieve first plasma by 2025 was no longer feasible and proposed a phased approach. The revised plan targets a simplified start-up phase focused on demonstrating integrated machine operations before progressing to full deuterium-tritium fusion experiments.[1]
Key elements of the restructuring include resolving critical technical issues with the thermal shield and vacuum vessel sectors — problems that had caused multi-year delays — renegotiating procurement schedules with Domestic Agencies, and implementing stricter project management controls. Barabaschi has been forthright about the scale of the challenges, publicly acknowledging defects in completed components and the need for repair campaigns before assembly can proceed.[3]
Barabaschi trained as a nuclear engineer in Italy and built his career in the European fusion programme. At F4E in Barcelona, he oversaw the design and procurement of major ITER components including superconducting magnets, the vacuum vessel, and buildings. This hands-on engineering experience distinguishes his leadership style from that of his predecessors, several of whom came from more research-oriented backgrounds.[2]
His tenure will ultimately be judged by whether the New Baseline restores ITER's credibility and delivers a functioning machine. The project remains the world's most ambitious fusion experiment and the only facility designed to produce net fusion energy gain at the 500 MW thermal power level.