ITER (originally an acronym for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is an international consortium to develop electricity-producing fusion power plants of the future. Participants include Japan, the European Union, Russia, the United States, South Korea, China, and India. An experimental reactor will be built in Cadarache, France, scheduled for completion in 2016, and a separate research facility will be constructed in Japan. Fusion is considered safer than fission, since it does not involve explosive chain reactions or result in radioactive waste, and it is expected to someday become an alternative to fission power plants.