Foundation Construction Preparation Begins for Three New Facilities of the ITER Project in France

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 5, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in Cadarache, France, launched preparatory construction work for three new facilities and two connecting bridges. The facilities will be used to install electron cyclotron heating, ion cyclotron heating, and cooling equipment to meet the external heating capacity requirements of ITER's revised research plan. Underground pipe network relocation and micro-pile drilling are already underway on site, with main construction scheduled to begin in early 2027.

The new works include an electron cyclotron heating facility, an ion cyclotron heating facility, and a cooling equipment facility. The two connecting bridges will carry the transmission lines of the heating systems, connecting the related equipment to the main tokamak building. The three facilities and connecting bridges are all additions under ITER's revised research plan and were not included in the original site layout.

F4E and the construction contractor b.NEXT consortium completed the final design of the project in the summer of 2026. Subsequently, the ITER Organization selected F4E to manage the construction of the new facilities, and F4E organized European engineering firms to carry out on-site construction and subsequent civil works.

Site preparation work began with the Spie–Chapus–Monteiro consortium relocating the underground water pipe network to adjust existing pipelines that intersect with the construction areas of the new facilities. Subsequently, Spain's Ferrovial entered the site to carry out micro-pile drilling to provide foundation support for the new buildings. Because underground galleries and existing pipe networks are distributed beneath the construction area, the pile positions need to be precisely arranged according to the distribution of underground facilities.

According to the construction schedule published by F4E, the preparation work is planned to be completed by the end of 2026, and the main construction of the three facilities and two connecting bridges is expected to begin in early 2027. F4E will also award the civil engineering contract for the new buildings and connecting bridges, and will conduct technical coordination and contract management jointly with the ITER Organization during construction.