Sciences

Fusion power plants: where do things stand?

DOSSIER «LE GRAND RETOUR DU NUCLEAIRE», Jean-David Ponci | Mastering fusion would make it possible to reproduce the thermonuclear reactions of stars that are not at the end of their lives, where four hydrogen atoms fuse to form one helium atom. This is the physical process that generates the greatest amount of energy. Controlling it to produce electricity would be like putting the sun in a box. But is it really feasible on Earth? If so, when? And would such plants really be less dangerous in the event of an accident than fission power plants? Alessandro Casati, PhD in physics, spent four years working on various nuclear fusion projects: the major international ITER project in France and the Tokamak at EPFL in Switzerland. The specialist now works in finance, but has continued to follow advances in the field out of passion. This is a great advantage, as it enables him to respond impartially and give us his expertise on the future of research.

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