Innovation UK > News > Innovation News > Atkins signs up for ITER

Engineering and design consultancy Atkins has signed one of the biggest engineering contracts in Europe with Fusion for Energy (F4E). As part of the Engage consortium, it has been awarded the architect engineer contract for the building and civil infrastructures for ITER, the world?s latest experimental nuclear fusion reactor, based in southern France. The Engage contract is valued at approximately E150m.

ITER is one of the world?s biggest and most complex engineering projects and is jointly funded by the US, 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.

?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,? said Martin Grant, managing director of Atkins? energy business.

?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 staff with nuclear skills, we are one of the most experienced and well-resourced consultancies in the UK.?

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.

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.?