Projects

MARKETS: Nuclear

LOCATION: France

CLIENT: Fusion for Energy (F4E)

COMPLETION DATE: Ongoing

Can we create an abundant supply of low-cost, zero carbon energy?

We’re involved in an extraordinary project that’s aiming to create a limitless supply of clean, safe and reliable energy. ITER, in the south of France, is the world’s largest experimental fusion device. Thirty-five nations are working together to build and operate the facility in the hope of testing the potential of fusion energy like no other machine to date. We’re part of a consortium that was appointed to deliver the over 30 buildings and associated infrastructure for the project, including the flagship Tokamak complex.

The challenge

ITER, which means ‘the way’ in Latin, is a €15 billion mega project that began at the beginning of the century. By 2035, it’s expected to show fusion energy can transform the way we power our homes and businesses. Producing energy from fusion at such scale has never been done before. That means ITER is a complex, scientific and engineering challenge that involves many world firsts.

• 35 Nations contributing to development of clean, safe and reliable energy
• 150 Million degrees is the temperature inside the reactor, 10x hotter than the sun
• 40 Languages spoken by ITER members
• 23K Tonnes is the weight of the Tokamak reactor, 3x the Eiffel Tower

The solution

Since 2010, we’ve been working in partnership with engineering firms Assystem, Egis and Empresarios Agrupados, as part of the Engage consortium. We were appointed as the architect engineer and are responsible for delivering the over 30 buildings and associated infrastructure that make up the facility. That work includes:

• Evaluation of geotechnical conditions, foundation design and excavation oversight.
• Preliminary, tender and construction design of the buildings, including major structures such as the Tokamak complex.
• Preliminary and tender design of all building services, including HVAC, electrical, mechanical handling, fire protection and water supply.
• The production of nuclear safety documentation.
• The production of technical specifications for contractors’ contracts, evaluation of tenders, placement of contracts support.
• Oversight of contractors and construction management.
• Oversight testing and commissioning, de-snagging and hand-over.

"When you visit the site in the south of France, you feel like you’re contributing to something special. That’s because the research being conducted here could lead to the creation of an abundant supply of clean, safe and reliable energy. That’s exciting, particularly given the urgent need to find alternative, zero carbon energy sources."

James Goodenough, Market Lead - New Nuclear Technologies, Power New Build UK

The results

The Engage contract is one of the biggest engineering contracts ever awarded in Europe. Now we’re ensuring the foundations we put in place enable first plasma experiments to begin on schedule at the end of 2025. To do this, we’ve:

Met challenging milestones: we mobilised more than 130 engineers within two weeks of the contract being awarded. We also completed the preliminary design in five months and a tender design in 17 months for the more than 30 buildings and associated services.

Managed technical complexity: our civil engineering and nuclear new build experts are designing buildings to withstand extreme conditions. For example, the temperature inside the reactor will reach 150 million degrees centigrade - that’s 10 times hotter than the sun's core. Other buildings are being designed to accommodate exceptionally cold environments.

Embraced change: the science has evolved throughout the project, and our engineering solutions have flexed in line with these developments. New technologies have also been deployed because we’ve had to find a way to meet unique challenges.

Encouraged collaboration: the four partners that make up our consortium are usually competitors. We’ve set aside our commercial interests and instead shared best practice, innovation and lessons learned so we can apply our combined skills and knowledge to this project. We’re also members of a wider team that includes people from 35 nations and many disciplines.

An audit, which was carried out at the end of the design phase on behalf of the EU commission, concluded the ‘engineering delivered was world-class’. In 2019, the contract awarded to Engage was extended for another five years.