IP/05/834
Brussels, 3 July 2005
Commissioner Potočnik visits Cadarache,
future site of ITER
European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potočnik
visited this Sunday the site in France that was earlier this week chosen to host
the international fusion research facility ITER. In the company of
representatives of the French government and the European fusion research
community, he saluted the co-operation among all European players in fusion that
had made it possible to achieve this positive outcome.
“ITER is not just a large international research project but has great
importance for this region, for the EU and for the whole world” he said
during his visit. ”We’ve seen with our visit to Tore-Supra today how
far we’ve come already in fusion research. I am optimistic that ITER will
allow us to go even further down the road to safe, clean, abundant
energy.”
Also present during the visit were the French minister for Research, Francois
Goulard, former European Commissioner for Research, Philippe Busquin and former
French ministers for Research, Francois d’Aubert and Claude Haigneré,
as well as the chief Administrator of the French Atomic Energy Commission, Alain
Bugat and the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy, Bernard Bigot.
Cadarache is situated about 60 kilometres from Marseille in the
Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region. It currently hosts the CEA Cadarache
research installation. This facility focuses on research in the nuclear fission
sector, looking at how to make it more economic, more efficient and safer, at
how to reduce waste and propose solutions for waste treatment in the long term.
Research is also undertaken into solar energy and microbiology, looking at
possibilities for biological solutions to pollution. Finally, Cadarache
currently hosts Tore-Supra, one of the existing centres for fusion research.
For more information on ITER:
MEMO/05/226
www.iter.org
www.itercad.org
http://www.cea.fr/fr/thema/centres/cadarache.htm
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