  One of the strong motivations for pursuing the development of fusion energy
is its potentially low environmental impact and very good safety performance.
But this safety and environmental potential can only be fully realized by
careful design choices. For DEMO and other fusion facilities that will require
nuclear licensing, S&E objectives and criteria should be set at an early stage
and taken into account when choosing basic design options and throughout the
design process. Studies in recent decades of the safety of fusion power plant
concepts give a useful basis on which to build the S&E approach and to assess
the impact of design choices. The experience of licensing ITER is of particular
value, even though there are some important differences between ITER and DEMO.
The ITER project has developed a safety case, produced a preliminary safety
report and had it examined by the French nuclear safety authorities, leading to
the licence to construct the facility. The key technical issues that arose
during this process are recalled, particularly those that may also have an
impact on DEMO safety. These include issues related to postulated accident
scenarios, environmental releases during operation, occupational radiation
exposure, and radioactive waste.
