Atkins and Fusion for Energy sign one of biggest engineering contracts in Europe for ITER - 13 April 2010
Atkins, as part of the Engage consortium, has signed one of the biggest engineering contracts in Europe with Fusion for Energy (F4E). The consortium has been awarded the architect engineer contract for the building and civil infrastructures for ITER, the world’s latest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in southern France. The Engage contract is valued at approximately 150 million Euros.
Martin Grant, managing director of Atkins’ energy business, said:
“ITER ranks as one of the most technically challenging projects the world has ever seen and it must be delivered to a time-critical schedule. This is a remarkable opportunity for Atkins to showcase its engineering and management skills on the world stage and, together with our partners we are now at the centre of a scheme that will pull engineers together across country, company and skills boundaries.
“As members of the Engage consortium we will be involved in all stages of the design and construction of the ITER complex, providing civil, structural and mechanical engineering, together with commercial management through our cost consultants, Faithful+Gould. Atkins has been involved in the nuclear sector for nearly half a century, and with over 1500 people with nuclear skills we are one of the most experienced and well-resourced consultancies in the UK. As nuclear power is set to play a more important role in the delivery of world energy supplies, Atkins is well positioned to provide engineering expertise to the sector.”
The Engage consortium is made up of Atkins, Assystem (France), Iosis (France) and Empresarios Agrupados (Spain). As architect engineer, the consortium will assist F4E during the entire construction process, from detailed design to works completion for the ITER buildings as well as the site infrastructures and the distribution of the power supplies. At the peak of the design activity, more than 230 engineers and designers will work on the contract. While most of the teams will work in F4E’s offices in Cadarache, southern France, some design work will also be carried out in the consortium members’ own offices.
Frank Briscoe, director of F4E, said: “F4E has full responsibility for the construction of the technical buildings necessary for the implementation of the ITER reactor. The signature of this contract is a big step towards ITER’s construction phase. This is a clear demonstration of Europe’s capacity to deliver, and involve industry, in the biggest energy experiment of our time.”
ITER is one of the world’s biggest and most complex engineering projects and is jointly funded by the USA, China, Europe, Russian Federation, India, Japan and Republic of Korea. The ambition is to deliver nuclear fusion on a commercial scale offering safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy.
Ends
For more information:
Andy Winstanley
Head of media relations
+44 (0)1372 752018/+44 (0)7803 259643
andy.winstanley@atkinsglobal.com
Aris Apollonatos
Fusion for Energy (F4E)
+34 93 320 18 33
aris.apollonatos@f4e.europa.eu
Notes to editors:
Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is the UK’s largest engineering and design consultancy and the world’s 11th largest design firm. We have the depth and breadth of expertise to respond to the most technically challenging and time-critical infrastructure projects and the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy. Whether it’s the concept for a new skyscraper, the upgrade of a rail network, the modelling of a flood defence system or the improvement of a management process, we plan, design and enable solutions.
Recent projects include:
• Major infrastructure works, such as the design and programme management of the civil works for the Dubai Metro red and green lines;
• High profile transport planning and urban design – our innovative scheme to deliver a diagonal crossing at London’s Oxford Circus has helped tackle the problem of pedestrian crowding;
• Key rail projects – providing architectural and engineering design services on London’s Crossrail, Europe’s biggest civil engineering project, and designing stations, tunnelling and track systems on Gautrain, South Africa’s first high speed line.
• Multidisciplinary building design – North Wood Primary School in Darlington is an exemplar project which raises standards for environmental design and community engagement;
• Vital water and environmental projects – as part of a joint venture, Atkins is providing technical assistance to the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme in Nigeria, which will benefit up to three million people.
Atkins was named Consultancy of the Year in the CIBSE Low Carbon Performance Awards 2010; received the first ever certification of the Carbon Trust Standard awarded to an engineering consultancy in the construction sector; and was named among The Times Top 50 Companies Where Women Want to Work 2009 and The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2009. Atkins was also construction and civil engineering sector winner for the fifth consecutive year in the Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2010 and was awarded a ROSPA Gold Medal 2010 for excellence in control of health and safety in the workplace.
Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
For more information on Atkins’ nuclear capability: www.atkinsglobal.com/nuclear
Fusion for Energy
Fusion for Energy (F4E) is the European Union’s organisation for Europe’s contribution to ITER.
One of the main tasks of F4E is to work together with European industry, SMEs and research organisations to develop and provide a wide range of high technology components together with engineering, maintenance and support services for the ITER project.
F4E supports fusion R&D initiatives through the Broader Approach Agreement signed with Japan and prepares for the construction of demonstration fusion reactors (DEMO).
F4E was created by a decision of the Council of the European Union as an independent legal entity and was established in April 2007 for a period of 35 years.
Its offices are in Barcelona, Spain.
http://www.fusionforenergy.europa.eu/
ITER
ITER is a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. It will be the world's largest experimental fusion facility and is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power.
Fusion is the process which powers the sun and the stars. When light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source.
Europe will contribute almost half of the costs of its construction, while the other six Members to this joint international venture (China, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA), will contribute equally to the rest.
The site of the ITER project is at Cadarache in the South of France.
http://www.iter.org/default.aspx