Name and Location
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, Cadarache, France.

Client
The ITER Organisation, which includes China, the European Union (EU), India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the US.

Project Description
The ITER project is a large-scale scientific experiment that aims to demonstrate that it is possible to produce commercial energy from fusion. It is based on the tokamak concept of magnetic confinement, in which the plasma is contained in a doughnut-shaped vacuum vessel. The fuel for the reactor will be a mixture of two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, which will be heated to temperatures higher than 150-million degrees centigrade, forming the hot plasma.

The project entails the construction of the Tokamak complex – a 360 000 t building that comprises the tokamak, diagnostic and tritium buildings – in Cadarache, north of Marseille, in southern France. It will have an estimated generating capacity of 500 MW.

The complex will be 80 m high, 120 m long and 80 m wide. Its footprint will be bigger than that of a football stadium.

It will rely on 493 plinths, equipped with antiseismic bearings. The plinths can sustain the overall weight of the reactor – about 23 000 t – almost three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

The complex will host 100 heavy nuclear and confinement doors. The major doors will be 4 m high, 4 m long and 35 cm thick. Each door will be about 40 t and they will be remotely operated.

Value
The project is valued at an estimated €13-billion. Members of the ITER Organisation will bear the cost of the project through its ten-year construction phase and its 20-year operational phase before decommissioning.

Duration
First plasma is scheduled for November 2020. Full deuterium/tritium operation is scheduled for March 2027. The ITER Organisation and Domestic Agency schedule milestones leading up to these dates and are reviewed on a monthly basis, with strategies developed to make up for lost time, where necessary.

Latest Developments
Work on the Tokamak complex basemat slab ended August 27, 2014, with the pouring of the last 15 segments. This milestone paves the way for a new phase in ITER construction – work can now begin on the walls of the buildings at the heart of the ITER scientific facility.

Five large drain tanks, supports for the base of the cryostat (the concrete crown) and the building walls will be positioned directly on the 9 300 m² surface of the B2 slab. Work on the B2 slab, which involved 14 000 m³ of concrete and 3 600 t of rebar, was carried out from March 2013 until August 2014.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
The VFR consortium, comprising Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Razel-Bec, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Campenon Bernard Sud-Est, GTM Sud, Chantiers Modernes Sud and Ferrovial Agroman.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
ITER Organisation communications, Michel Claessens, tel +33 4 42 17 66 12 or email michel.claessens@iter.org.
Vinci Construction Grands Projets, tel +33 1 47 16 39 00 or fax +33 1 47 51 46 26.
Razel-Bec, tel +331 69 85 69 or fax +33 1 60 19 06 45.
Dodin Campenon Bernard, tel +33 01 49 61 71 00 or fax +33 1 49 61 25 44.
Campenon Bernard Sud-Est, tel +33 4 92 08 45 02.
GTM Sud, tel +33 491 767 507, fax +33 141 915 823 or email gtmsud-gci@vinci-construction.fr.
Chantiers Modernes Sud, tel +33 5 57 89 16 76.
Ferrovial Agroman, tel +34 915 862 500.