Alpes-Cote d'Azur [France], July 4 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday visited the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility in Cadarache, France, where she lauded the contribution of Indian scientists, engineers and companies to one of the world's most ambitious nuclear fusion energy projects.

According to a series of posts by the Ministry of Finance on X, Sitharaman toured the ITER facility and was briefed on India's contribution to the project. The ministry said the Finance Minister appreciated the work being carried out by the international team working on the experimental nuclear fusion reactor.

'The Union Finance Minister appreciated the dedication of the ITER engineers and scientists engaged in ITER experiment, which is one of the most ambitious nuclear fusion energy projects in the world, and a significant step toward sustainable and limitless clean energy for the future,' the ministry said.

ITER is a large-scale international collaboration aimed at building the world's largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. The project involves seven member countries, including India, along with additional cooperation agreements with several other nations.

During her visit, Sitharaman received a presentation on India's contribution to the project from ITER officials and was taken on a guided tour of the facility, including the Cleaning Hall, Assembly Hall and the Tokamak Pit.

The Finance Ministry said Sitharaman also 'commended the work of Indian scientists, engineers and associates, as well as notable industry players such as L&T, Inox India, TCS, TCE, HCL Technologies, among others, who are contributing to the project over the last two decades.'

Separately, the Finance Minister interacted with Indian professionals from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) working on the ITER project in Cadarache.

She also met an Indian engineer from Tamil Nadu contributing to the ITER project, the ministry said, highlighting the role of Indian talent in the global nuclear fusion programme.

ITER is widely regarded as one of the world's largest scientific collaborations, with the goal of demonstrating the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a safe, sustainable and virtually limitless source of clean energy. (ANI)