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CEA Cadarache

France’s nuclear research centre in Provence that hosts both the ITER construction site and the WEST tokamak — making it the epicentre of the global fusion effort.

Reviewed Last reviewed: 9 Aug 2026 · Category: Organizations & Policy

Overview

The CEA (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) Cadarache centre is located in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, Provence, southern France. It is France’s largest nuclear research site (1,600 hectares) and hosts both the ITER construction site and CEA’s own fusion research program, including the WEST tokamak.[1]

ITER host site: Cadarache was selected in 2005 as the ITER host site after a diplomatic competition with Rokkasho, Japan. The 180-hectare ITER platform was prepared by France as part of its host-state commitment, with the EU providing approximately 45% of ITER’s construction value.

WEST Tokamak

WEST (W [tungsten] Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) is the former Tore Supra tokamak, extensively upgraded with a full tungsten divertor to test ITER-relevant plasma-facing components. It is the only actively cooled, long-pulse superconducting tokamak in Europe, having demonstrated plasma pulses exceeding 6 minutes.[2]

French Fusion Program

CEA’s Institute for Research on Fusion by Magnetic Confinement (IRFM) is France’s primary fusion research organisation, employing ~450 researchers and engineers. IRFM leads French contributions to ITER and EUROfusion, with particular expertise in plasma heating, superconducting magnets, remote handling, and plasma control.[3]

Sources

  1. CEA. "CEA Cadarache." cea.fr/english.
  2. Bucalossi, J. et al. "The WEST project: testing ITER divertor high heat flux component technology in a steady state tokamak environment." Fusion Engineering and Design, 89, 907–912, 2014.
  3. ITER Organization. "ITER Site and Buildings." iter.org.

Related

ITER WEST Tokamak ITER Construction History EUROfusion ITER Site Selection