Fuel of the future

last updated 8 January 2015

Cadarache, France

A 30-nation consortium picked France this week as the site of the world’s first nuclear fusion reactor. The E.U., U.S., China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia are chipping in the $6 billion it will take to build the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor over 10 years. Currently, nuclear reactors use fission, which splits atoms apart; the planned reactor would use fusion to meld them together. Theoretically, the process could turn seawater into fuel without harming the environment. “If we can really make this work,” said British scientist Ian Fells, “there will be enough electricity to last the world for the next 1,000 to 2,000 years.” The technological challenges are immense: The reactor will have to heat deuterium gas hotter than the sun.