China to inject RMB 10 bln into fusion power research project

China will inject about RMB 10 billion into an international fusion power research and development project, ITER, a top official said at a scientific forum held in Shanghai last weekend.

According to the official website of ITER, the whole project will cost EUR 10 billion. China will invest about RMB 10 billion, or 10% of the overall cost, in the project, which makes it one of the most expensive scientific research projects ever for China. However, according to the contract, only 20% of the fund is in cash, while most of the rest will be in the form of components of machines.

The ITER project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of harnessing nuclear fusion power for electricity, is a joint international scientific project. The current participants involved in the ITER project are the European Union, Japan, China, India, Russia and the U.S.

The long-term objective of fusion research is to harness the nuclear power provided by the fusion of light atoms, which could outperform the fission technology used by almost all the current nuclear power plants in terms of effectiveness and safety.

China's involvement in this project is controversial and some Chinese scientists even opposed to the investment due to the gigantic cost, technical difficulty and uncertain reasons. But if the project succeeds, the benefits from this project for China will be enormous.

ITER is to be constructed this year in Cadarache, south of France.