The director general of the Iter international nuclear fusion research project, Frenchman Bernard Bigot, died on Saturday at the age of 72, "
swept away by illness
", announced Iter Organization.
"
A major player in the world of science and energy for more than four decades, he left a lasting mark on the international research program Iter, which he took over in 2015
," she said in a press release. .
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While the viability of the experimental nuclear fusion reactor program was questioned, with some of the countries then considering questioning their participation, Bernard Bigot had put it back on track.
Today, "
each of the program partners - China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States - has produced its share of very high-tech parts intended for the machine and to the industrial systems of the installation
”, and three quarters of the “
tasks essential to the production of a first plasma are now carried out
”, according to Iter.
Based in Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône), Iter aims to master the production of energy from the fusion of hydrogen, as in the heart of the Sun.
Nuclear fusion is considered by its defenders as the energy of tomorrow because it could be almost unlimited and non-polluting.
The first plasma production should take place in 2026 and the reactor should reach full power in 2035. The project budget has tripled, amounting to nearly 20 billion euros.
Iter's deputy director, Japanese Eisuke Tada, will lead the program on an interim basis, "
pending the appointment of his successor by the Iter board
", according to the organization.
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