Speaker
Prof.
Jean Jacquinot
Description
Controlled thermonuclear fusion is considered as a promising source of energy for the second half of the century. It avoids the production of greenhouse gases and offers significant advantages in the nuclear safety area. However, its availability requires the success of an important programme of research before considering an industrial development.
ITER, ‘the way” in latin, is a large experiment which is the keystone of the research programme on magnetically confined plasmas. It aims at the demonstration of fusion energy at the 500MW level. Its construction, directed by an international organisation involving 35 countries, is well under way in Cadarache in the south of France. The essential physics and technology points of this research will be discussed as well as the results of the supporting research which is actively being carried out around the world.
