ITER (“The Way” in Latin) is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today.
In southern France, 35 nations* are collaborating to build the world’s largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our Sun and stars.
The experimental campaign that will be carried out at ITER is crucial to advancing fusion science and preparing the way for the fusion power plants of tomorrow.
The primary objective of ITER is the investigation and demonstration of burning plasmas—plasmas in which the energy of the helium nuclei produced by the fusion reactions is enough to maintain the temperature of the plasma, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for external heating. ITER will also test the availability and integration of technologies essential for a fusion reactor (such as superconducting magnets, remote maintenance, and systems to exhaust power from the plasma) and the validity of tritium breeding module concepts that would lead in a future reactor to tritium self-sufficiency.
ITER
https://www.iter.org/
The ITER site is located off of the A51 motorway that links Aix-en-Provence and the French Alps—approximately 35 km north of Aix-en-Provence and 20 km south of Manosque.
Heading north from Aix in the direction of Sisteron, take exit 17 (Vinon/St-Paul-lez-Durance). At the first roundabout after the toll, turn left (past the CEA entrance) and continue along the D952 roadway towards Vinon-sur-Verdon. You will need to drive several kilometres to reach the ITER worksite entrance (for site visits) or ITER Headquarters.
After 2.2 km, at the second roundabout, continue straight and follow the sign to ITER Headquarters.
The main entrances to ITER are located at the third roundabout (see map above):
If you are scheduled for an ITER site visit, please take the first right to Entrance B (“Construction Site”) and park your car. Your guide will meet you there.
If you are expected at ITER Headquarters, please take the second right through the gates (Entrance C), park your car in the Visitor Parking Lot, and proceed by foot to the Welcome Building to pick up your badge.