European Union and six countries reach deal for fusion reactor

The European Union (EU) along with China, India, Japan, the U.S., South Korea, and Russia reached a deal on Wednesday on the financing and timetable for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), BBC reported.

The deal was reached after massive cost overruns and project delays. The cost of the project was initially estimated at $6.5 billion (€5 billion). It was originally expected to be finished by 2018.

The ITER project will be constructed in Cadarache, southern France. It involves a multinational effort to harness energy produced through nuclear fusion, the same physical process that fuels the Sun. The device is designed with a huge, tire-shaped vacuum chamber that uses giant magnets to contain hydrogen and is heated to 150 million degrees Celsius. In its plasma state, hydrogen nuclei can fuse to create helium and energy.

In 2005, EU and the six countries began tests on fusion to demonstrate its use as a real, workable source of power. However, the main problem was not controlling fusion but budgets. According to updated figures, the ITER will be ready for operation by 2026. The cost has also increased significantly, from 5 billion to 15 billion euros, with the EU covering half of the costs.

WireUpdate