The US$12 billion project is - theoretically - able to reproduce the sun's power source with nuclear fusion is being seen as an alternative to fossil fuels.

A December meeting between the projects sponsors - the European Union, the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and China - did not lead to a consensus as to where ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) will be cited. Japan's proposal was for Rokkasho, on the northern tip of Japan's main island of Honshu. France wants ITER to be sited at Cadarache, in south eastern France.

Another meeting of the consortium is scheduled for late February and Japan's Science Minister, Takeo Kawamura, has announced to the media that his country's first priority is to break the deadlock that is threatening the progress of the project.

According to Kawamura, "We don't want to stop the momentum behind this project. But if we can't agree at the next meeting … the two bidding nations could hold talks to consider how we might divide up the facilities, for instance, into the reactor and information centre portions." The minister did not elaborate further.

At the last meeting, South Korea and the United States backed the Japanese option. Russia and China put their money on the EU's choice - France. Canada, which had been part of the original consortium, did not attend and many believe that the North American country will pull out of the project.

ITER will confer infer international prestige for the host country and generate thousands of jobs for whichever country hosts the project. The only hitch is that the host country is expected to bear around 48% of cost of constructing the US$5 billion projects. The other members of the consortium will pay around 10% each.