UK-based Amec Foster Wheeler has been appointed to carry out design development work for an integrated plant simulator for the €15bn ($16bn) International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) nuclear fusion project under construction at Cadarache in France.
Amec said on 10 January 2017 that it will draw up technical specifications and implementation plans for the simulator along with three subcontractors: the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Fortum, and Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre.
The simulator will be used for the training of Iter operators and will support the commissioning and operation phases at Iter. Amec did not give any value for the contract, but said it adds to its existing work at Iter, which includes a 10-year construction management contract and studies into decommissioning and decontamination. Iter will be the world's largest experimental fusion facility and is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion as a safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source.
