Evaluation of the impact of experimental fusion-aimed installations on their area of influence: the price of sustainable energy

Abstract

The need of clean, stable, safe and free of uncertainty energy sources has been increased after the current geopolitical tension. In this framework, nuclear energy is receiving renewed attention which finally led the European Commission to consider it as Green Energy. In spite of the expected "golden age" of nuclear energy, the fission still has some problems that must be solved. For this reason, the research on nuclear fusion is now and more than ever a real must. The path towards the control of fusion is plenty of technical difficulties, mainly related to the extreme temperatures and pressures needed and also to the neutronic radiation. The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – Demo Oriented NEutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) is an experimental facility whose target s the testing of materials with fusion-like neutrons in order to evaluate the damages and decide which material is the most convenient to build the future reactors. The impact of IFMIF-DONES on the people living in the area where it is going to be located (Escúzar, Province of Granada, Spain) has been evaluated through a survey among its inhabitants. The results are presented and discussed in this work.