The fusion reactor everyone is anticipating is currently under construction in France. It's called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and could be the fusion reactor to lead a new era of clean energy. The reactor recently hit a major milestone, its construction is halfway complete. Following is a transcript of the video.

This is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). It's a project partnership between the US, China, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. ITER would generate power by fusing atoms together. Similar to the nuclear fusion process that powers our sun. Nuclear fusion offers a cleaner, safer alternative to nuclear fission, which is what powers today's nuclear reactors.

But so far, no one has built a fusion reactor that could power a small town, let alone, a city, state, or country. ITER is the machine that could change that. The countries began the ITER project ten years ago with plans to achieve full fusion by 2023. But massive delays have pushed that goal back to 2035. The project is now four times over budget with some critics saying it's unclear if the technology will even work. The machine is projected to cost over $20 billion to complete. One thing is certain: Harnessing the power of the sun is no easy task.

This video was first published on Oct. 13, 2016.