France’s Assystem announced that it will play a key role in the development of two separate nuclear fusion reactors with leading fusion research centres in China and the UK.
In May, Assystem signed a co-operation agreement with ASIPP (Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) to provide support on the development of the China Fusion Energy Test Reactor (CFETR).
For the collaboration with ASIPP, Assystem will provide support in the areas of nuclear safety regulation and licensing, commissioning and waste treatment for the CFETR and Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) experiments and hot cells for the CFETR experiment.
Yuntao Song, head of ASIPP, said: “Assystem and ASIPP complement each other in many ways. We will collaborate on ITER, CRAFT, CFETR and other projects and make joint contribution to the fusion energy development for humankind.”
Meanwhile in the UK, Assystem has won a place in the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Engineering Design Services (EDS) Framework that coordinates their fusion research programme. As a selected supplier to the EDS Framework, Assystem will help drive the engineering work required to meet the UK’s ambition to develop commercial fusion power by 2040 through the various UKAEA research programmes, including Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE), and Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
Paula Barham, UKAEA’s head of procurement said: “This framework will be a key means for UKAEA to access the highly-skilled supply chain offered by the winners. All successful tenderers are to be congratulated for winning a place on a hotly contested framework. We look forward to working with Assystem, as well as with all the other framework winners, as we seek to solve the huge technical challenges presented by the development of sustainable fusion energy.”
Assystem said it has "unique experience" as one of the first engineering companies to support the development of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) under construction at Cadarache in France. Assystem is Architect Engineer of ITER and a leading company in the Engage consortium, as well as working through the Momentum consortium in order to manage and coordinate the assembly and installation of more than one million components for the ITER reactor. The company is also in charge of delivering the Divertor Remote Handling System (DRHS) for ITER.
In related news, Assystem announced it acquired 100% of the shares in Corporate Risk Associates (CRA), one of the largest teams of risk, safety, operations and human factors consultants in the UK.
