Iter: Low morale, eroded trust and lost competence

European leaders of problem-plagued fusion power project reveal major difficulties including shortfall in expertise

The international nuclear fusion facility Iter has been beset by many “technical and managerial difficulties” in recent years, European leaders on the project have revealed—and they warn that the problems are far from over.

Under construction in southern France since 2010, Iter is intended to pave the way for the use of fusion energy as a power source, avoiding the carbon emissions of fossil fuels and the radioactive waste of fission energy.