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News & Views item - November 2006 |
Nuclear Fusion and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project. (November 22, 2006)
The US$12 billion worldwide attempt to generate power from nuclear fusion was signed into existence today by ministers from the project's seven international partners--China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States.
With the current discussions regarding the possible development of electricity generation through nuclear fission in Australia, it's of interest to look beyond at the possible use of nuclear fusion for power generation sometime closer to the 22nd century than the beginning of the 21st.
Nature's Washington Physical Sciences Correspondent, Geoff Brumfiel poses two rhetorical questions.
When will we know whether ITER has been a success?
Would Prime Minister John Howard like to set up a "taskgroup" with the goal of determining whether or not Australia should/would/could be a leader in setting up an international consortium to invest -- say up to US$12 billion -- for developing the capacity "of electricity plants based on things such as wind, solar and geothermal energy"?
Ha, you make big joke for pull Borat's fibula.