Construction

New engineering consortium to help complete work on site

Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European Domestic Agency for ITER, has signed a major new contract for engineering services on the ITER construction site.

Aerial view of the ITER site, Cadarache, France, October 2024 ©ITER Organization/EJF Riche

Fusion for Energy has signed a multi-million deal running until 2030 for activities relating to design and construction management at ITER. The b.NEXT consortium (Assystem, Egis and Empresarios Agrupados) will provide consulting and engineering expertise for the final civil and mechanical works on the ITER construction site under European responsibility. Scope includes helping to complete the last roads, trenches, lighting and networks on the platform, works to prepare the Tritium Building for nuclear operation, and the design and construction of facilities that will house generators and fuel storage tanks.

This contract comes as Fusion for Energy’s architect engineering contract with the ENGAGE consortium (Assystem, Egis, Empresarios Agrupados, and Atkins Realis) comes to an end. The new consortium maintains much of the expertise of the old, which will facilitate the transition. 

“Europe’s participation in ITER offers companies a unique opportunity to be involved in the biggest international fusion project, which will influence the energy mix of the future," says Marc Lachaise, Director of Fusion for Energy. They will be part of a large supply chain managed by F4E, which will strengthen their skills, boost their competitiveness, and provide them with first-hand experience in developing tomorrow’s fusion devices. Building on our previous collaboration with b.NEXT partners, we rely on their expertise and renew our commitment to excellence and timely delivery.”

Consortium partners plan to use cutting-edge digital technologies such as systems modelling and artificial intelligence to automate engineering and project management processes.

See the original article on the Fusion for Energy website here.