EU Leaders Want Nuclear Fusion Agreement by July
Date: 24-Mar-05
Country: BELGIUM
European Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik has said the 25-nation bloc wants to start building the reactor in Cadarache, France, and will do so without an international agreement if it has to.
That has irked Japan, however, which wants it built in Rokkasho, a Japanese fishing village. Six partners are involved in the project, including the EU, Japan, China, the United States, Russia and South Korea.
"The European Council stresses the need to begin building the international thermonuclear experimental reactor on the European site by the end of 2005," the EU heads of state and government -- known as the Council -- said in a draft statement during a meeting in Brussels.
They called on the executive Commission "to make every effort to achieve that aim, in particular by finalising the international agreement by July 2005".
The EU has called for high-level political talks with Japan to resolve the issue. But Japan refused, saying they would only lead to deadlock.
The 10 billion euro ($13 billion) project, known as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), would use sea water as fuel, creating a low pollution energy source.
Nuclear fusion has been touted as a long-term solution to the world's energy problems, but years of research have so far failed to produce a commercially viable fusion reactor.