The international nuclear fusion project ITER is once again facing years of delays and billions in additional costs.

However, ITER’s initial budget was around €5 billion, and the first tests were scheduled to begin in 2020. It has been almost fifty years since the United States and the Soviet Union decided to cooperate in the field of nuclear fusion and launch ITER.

Nuclear fusion, which follows the same process that powers the sun, is seen as the holy grail of the energy sector. Not only does it offer a solution to the problem of radioactive waste, it also holds the promise of unlimited green energy without greenhouse gases.

However, the question is what can nuclear fusion contribute to combating climate change? “We should not rely on nuclear fusion to solve climate problems. That would not be wise,” Barabacci admitted. “It is important to find alternative sources of energy, and at some point nuclear fusion will play an important role. But this delay is not going in the right direction.”

Smaller private projects have made more progress in recent months, but Barabeschi doesn’t think nuclear fusion could become a commercial reality by 2040, as some startups predict. “We still need to solve some other technical issues to make it commercially viable.”