Hall for future ITER nuclear reactor: a further challenge successfully concluded

1 October 2015 - Projects update and handover - France

At Cadarache (south of France), the roof of the hall where the components of the future ITER thermonuclear fusion reactor will be pre-assembled was raised into its final position on 11 September 2015. Weighing 800 tonnes, the steel structure was lifted to a height of 50 metres with the help of strand jacks, having previously been assembled on the ground. The success of this operation marks a new stage in the advance of this exceptional project, being orchestrated by VINCI through its construction subsidiaries. Indeed, the Group is in charge of the bulk of the civil engineering for the project with two principal contracts: the creation of the earthquake-resistant foundations and the construction of the Tokamak complex, destined to house the reactor and the systems enabling it to function (power supply, cooling circuits …). This first contract was awarded in May 2010 to a joint venture composed of GTM Sud (leader), Chantiers Modernes Sud and Campenon Bernard Sud-Est, all three VINCI Construction France subsidiaries, together with Dodin Campenon Bernard, the specialist in large engineering structures within the Major Projects division at VINCI Construction. The second contract, secured in 2012 by a consortium led by VINCI (58.3%) and also comprising Spanish construction company Ferrovial Agroman (30%) and Fayat (11.7%), covers the design and construction of the three principal buildings of the complex – an 86 m-high edifice with a mass of 400,000 t (greater than that of the Empire State Building in New York) – and of its nine annexes. In addition, CEM Nucléaire (VINCI Energies International & Systems) is undertaking the design, manufacture and installation of 54 heavy nuclear doors, 46 of them providing access to the Tokamak’s core. Given its scale and complexity, this project is reliant on the skills and expertise of some ten VINCI companies, all working in synergy.