Cadarache

Cadarache (French pronunciation: [kadaʁaʃ]) in Southern France is the largest technological research and development centre for energy in Europe. It includes CEA research activities and ITER. CEA Cadarache is one of the research centres of the French Commission of Atomic and Alternative Energies (CEA). Established in the north of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, close to the village of Saint-Paul-lès-Durance to the west, CEA Cadarache is located about 40 kilometres (24 mi) from Aix-en-Provence, approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Marseille, standing near the borders of three other departments: the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Var and Vaucluse. It is a major source of employment in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and has one of the heaviest concentrations of specialised scientific staff. Cadarache began its research activities when President Charles de Gaulle launched France's atomic energy programme in 1959. In 2005, Cadarache was selected to be the site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's largest nuclear fusion reactor. Construction of the ITER complex began in 2007, and it is projected to begin plasma-generating operations in the 2020s. Cadarache also plays host to a number of research reactors, such as the Jules Horowitz Reactor, which is expected to enter operation around 2030.