In what was the first visit by any Head of State or Head of Government to one of the most ambitious fusion energy projects in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Cadarache in the south of France, along with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.

India is among the seven ITER members contributing to the high science project - one of the largest experimental efforts which aims to demonstrate nuclear fusion as a clean green source of unlimited energy. India’s contribution to ITER includes delivery of nine in-kind packages, each involving first-of-its-kind development of materials, machining, technologies and quality.

The two leaders, who were welcomed at the site by ITER Director General Pietro Barabaschi, appreciated the progress of ITER, including the assembly of the world's largest Tokamak, where ultimately 500 MW of fusion power will be produced by creating, containing and controlling burning plasma. They also appreciated the dedication of the ITER engineers and scientists working on the project.

Around 200 Indian scientists and associates, as well as notable industry players such as L&T, Inox India, TCS, TCE, HCL Technologies, among others, are engaged in the ITER project.

PM Modi and President Macron also visited the control room of CMA-CGM, a French shipping and logistics company in Marseille.

The Prime Minister was briefed about the company's business activities, including shipping, port operation, supply chain management and warehousing, as also future collaboration in the context of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) which aims at integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East involving multiple stakeholders.

"Strengthening Maritime Ties in Marseille! President Emmanuel Macron and I visited the control room of CMA-CGM, a global leader in shipping and logistics. As India expands its maritime and trade networks, collaborations with industry leaders will play a crucial role in boosting connectivity, supply chains and economic growth. We are working towards enhancing India-France cooperation in logistics, sustainability and global trade, reinforcing our shared vision for a better maritime future," PM Modi posted on X after the visit.

It was on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit in September 2023 that the leaders of India, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the United States announced an MOU committing to work together to develop IMEC which will comprise of two corridors, the east corridor connecting India to the Gulf and northern corridor connecting Gulf to Europe.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the corridor will provide a reliable and cost-effective cross-border ship to rail transit network to supplement existing maritime routes. It intends to increase efficiency, reduce costs, secure regional supply chains, increase trade accessibility, enhance economic cooperation, generate jobs and lower greenhouse gas emission, resulting in a transformative integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East (West Asia).