Jason Reed is digital director of the British Conservation Alliance, deputy editor of opinion site 1828, and a Young Voices contributor. He writes for the Times of London, the Independent, the Telegraph, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @JasonReed624.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy.]
Assembly of the world’s largest nuclear fusion project is underway. At a facility in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, southern France, the U.S. and six other countries have launched what has been described as “the most complicated piece of engineering anybody has ever attempted.” Called the Iter Project, it is set to replicate the reactions that power the sun. If it works, it’ll prove that nuclear fusion power can be generated on a commercial scale—paving the way for unlimited clean energy production.
This monumental step forward in the development of nuclear technology comes as the government lifts its ban on financing global nuclear projects. Until very recently, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) explicitly prohibited investing in the production of radioactive materials, including in nuclear reactors.