BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- The European Union warned on Tuesday it may go ahead and build the world's first nuclear fusion reactor with whatever partners it can find if there is no global deal to put the project in France.
European Commission research spokesman Fabio Fabbi said the EU hoped a deal would be clinched on Tuesday to build the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, known as ITER at Cadarache, near Marseille, rather than at a rival site in Japan.
Interesting topic, but I honestly have doubts when it comes to making a fusion reactor work safely on the surface of this planet when we can't even work with plain old conventional nuclear power plants reliably enough to put them into regular service yet.
Sean the technology is really different. With conventional reactors you have the risk of racing and explosion while the end-products are dangerous radioactive solid stuff to be stored for millions of years to come.
Fusion reactor, if the technology studied has any chance to come to its industrial development term, is bases on a light gas fuel - tritium - and generates helium, while their radioactivity would be easier to deal with.
11-19-2004 01:55 AM
