June 29, 2005 | |
France to host first nuclear fusion plant | |
Science's quest to find a cheap and inexhaustible way to meet global energy needs took a major step forward on Tuesday when a 30-nation consortium chose France to host the world's first nuclear fusion reactor.
After months of wrangling, France defeated a bid from Japan and signed a deal to site the 10 billion euro ($12.2 billion) experimental reactor in Cadarache, near Marseille. The project will seek to turn seawater into fuel by mimicking the way the sun produces energy. Its backers say it would be cleaner than existing nuclear reactors, but critics argue it could be at least 50 years before a commercially viable reactor is built, if at all. | |
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