Fusion valley. Storia socio-ambientale dell’International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (2006-12)

Fusion Valley. Socio-Environmental History of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (2006-12)

This article addresses the territorial impact of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter), the world’s largest experimental nuclear fusion plant that is currently being built in Cadarache (France). This case study intends to answer two questions: how do the territories of nuclear experiments change from a socio-environmental point of view? Do they themselves become experiments? Indeed, even before the experimentation began within the walls of the Iter, it extended into the entire surrounding area, making it, in turn, a social, political, economic, and cultural experiment.

Keywords: Iter; Thermonuclear; Fusion