Cadarache 2.31

Cadarache is the largest technological research and development center for energy in Europe including CEA research activities and ITER. CEA Cadarache is one of the 10 research centers of the French Commission of Atomic and Alternative Energies. Established in the French département of “Les Bouches-du-rhône”, close to the village Saint Paul-lez-Durance, CEA Cadarache, created in 1959, is located about 40 kilometers from Aix-en-Provence, approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) north-east of the city of Marseille and stands near the borders of three other “départements”: the Alpes de Haute-Provence, the Var and the Vaucluse. It is one of the major sources of employment in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (PACA) and has one of the heaviest concentrations of specialized scientific staff. Cadarache begun its research activities since President Charles de Gaulle launched France's atomic energy program in 1959. The center is operated by the "Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux énergies alternatives" (CEA, en: Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission). 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 2021.