Wedoany.com Report-Nov 21, Fusion For Energy (F4E), the organisation administering Europe’s contribution to the €20bn ($21.4bn) International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) project under construction in southern France, has signed a major €80m contract with the b.NEXT consortium for civil engineering works at the Iter site.
The contract, expected to run until 2030 with the possibility of an extension, is for the provision of consulting, design, nuclear safety, construction and project and management services.
The contract builds on previous contracts between the two parties and will see F4E and B.NEXT work together to complete the civil and mechanical works at the Iter site in Cadarache.
The b.NEXT consortium consists of three major engineering multinationals – UK-based Assystem, France-based Egis and Spain’s Empresarios Agrupados.
Europe is responsible for the delivery of nearly all Iter buildings, facilities, infrastructure and power supplies.
The consortium will also help F4E with the supervision of the works in the tritium building, where the fusion fuel will be stored before being used in the heart of the device to produce the fusion reaction.
The consortium will contribute to the design and construction of facilities that will house generators and fuel storage tanks.
With 90% of the civil works completed for the first phase of the project, this contract will pave the way to their last phase, F4E said.
In June the director-general of the Iter project announced a new schedule that aims for initial operation of the delayed reactor in 2035.
Iter has been working on what Pietro Barabaschi described as a realistic project timeline since he took up the role two years ago.