By Henrietta Billings - 10th November 2004
Talks on where to build the world's first nuclear fusion reactor have ground to a halt, with no agreement on whether France or Japan should host the multi-billion dollar site.
EU officials, who are gunning for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Cadarache site in southern France said they were "cautiously optimistic" after the meeting, despite no deal being reached, with Tokyo still pushing for the plant to be built in Japan.
“Negotiations did not to lead to agreement with the six current countries who are involved [in ITER], but the atmosphere was good so we will plod on with negotiations,” said a spokesman for the commission on Wednesday.
“Of course we are still persuaded that Cadarache in France is the best possible site and that is the basis of our negotiation position.”
“We have reason to say that the Japanese have not flatly refused this position although not endorsing it openly and other delegations that have been supporting the Japanese site have kept similar lines, so that is cause for some optimism.”
Officials from the European Commission, Japan, the US, South Korea, China and Russia met for high level ITER talks in Vienna on Tuesday.
Brussels has warned that it may go ahead and build the $12 billion reactor in Cadarache, Southern France if there is no deal with the US, Japan, Russia, China and South Korea.
The EU plans to finance 40 per cent of the total 10 billion euros it will cost to build the reactor over the next 30 years.
Nuclear fusion may in the future, it is hoped, offer a solution to a potential global energy crisis.
Fusion produces far less radioactive waste than nuclear fission - the current source of nuclear power - and so provides an attractive long-term option.
EU ambassadors will be debriefed on the outcome of the negotiations today, and the issue will top the agenda at the meeting of all 25 commissioners next week.
Research ministers will also debate the issue at the competitiveness council meeting on November 25-26.
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