Insights ITER Fusion Reactor

ITER is the world's largest scientific partnership aiming to test the potential of fusion power as a safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source.
It brings together seven parties (China, Europe, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the US) representing half of the world’s population and 80% of the global GDP.
The project is located in Cadarache, the South of France, and has 2000 people directly involved in the areas linked to construction.

In 2010, Atkins signed the architect engineer contract with Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU organisation managing Europe’s contribution to ITER, which amounts to roughly 50% of the entire project.
Atkins is part of the Engage consortium, consisting of engineering giants Assystem, Egis and Empresarios Agrupados.
The consortium is in charge of delivering 39 buildings and associated infrastructure for the ITER project, including the 50 x 200m Tokamak complex – the emblematic building where the fusion device will be installed.

The 200-strong integrated team of experts from our Energy and Infrastructure businesses are working together to ensure the project begins on schedule in order to meet the challenge of not only decarbonising but also increasing the world's energy supply.

Engage is responsible for supporting the procurement process, construction planning and supervision for the buildings including service and site infrastructure.
The scope of work also covers all disciplines of design: preliminary, tender and construction design for nuclear buildings.

On the project, there are several types of confinement and shielding doors all with seismic withstand capability, including:
• 46 remotely controlled port cell doors, with confinement and shielding (up to 350mm thick steel equivalent) with an opening size of 4m by 4m
• 12 remotely controlled lift lobby doors with an opening size of 4m by 4m
• In excess of 600 manually operated doors with shielding, confinement and water pressure requirement with opening sizes up to 1.5 m wide by 2.4 m tall.