MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The six partners of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) on Tuesday chose France as the site for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor which is designed to mimic the way the sun producespower.

"After long discussions and a great deal of joint work, the participants chose the site of Cadarache in France," Russia's atomic energy chief Alexander Rumyantsev told reporters.

The 10-billion-euro (12.18 billion US dollars) project, backed by China, the European Union (EU), Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States, is based on the theory of generating energy by combining atoms.

Previously, the EU and Japan proposed two candidate sites, Cadarache in France and Rokkasho-mura in Japan for the reactor.

France won the bid after a closed-door meeting of the project'ssix partners to host the reactor which technology backers say opens the way for producing endless low-cost clean energy using sea water as fuel.

"This is a great success for France, for Europe and for all of the partners in the ITER," French President Jacques Chirac said ina statement issued shortly after the announcement in Moscow.

"The international community will now be able to take on an unprecedented scientific and technological challenge, which opens great hopes for providing humanity with an energy that has no impact on the environment and is practically inexhaustible," he said.