Europe’s Final ITER Vacuum Vessel Sector Delivered

Fusion for Energy (F4E), in collaboration with Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse Electric Company and Walter Tosto, has completed manufacturing Europe’s final vacuum vessel sector for ITER — the largest international fusion experiment. The component left the factory of Westinghouse in Monfalcone, Italy, and was safely transported by DAHER to the ITER site in Cadarache, France. The arrival of the sector marks the end of a manufacturing journey that started 16 years ago and is officially the last large ITER component delivered on-site.

The sector’s fabrication builds on years of work directly involving more than 150 professionals and at least 15 companies across Europe with their respective workforces. F4E, managing Europe’s contribution to ITER, which amounts to nearly half of the project, has successfully created with its industrial partners a first-of-a-kind supply chain underpinned by expertise and the capacity to manufacture complex components for future fusion reactors.  

Thanks to the optimal use of resources, rigorous project planning and the application of good manufacturing practice, Europe delivered all of its five sectors in the last two years. F4E innovated by using AI in order to cross-check data collected by technical teams in the factories.

The vacuum vessel is key to the operation of the ITER device. The massive double-walled container made of stainless steel will house the fusion reaction. It will provide a clean environment, keeping away air, dust or impurities from entering its chamber. Powerful superconducting magnets will embrace the vessel so that the plasma floats without touching its walls. The component counts nine sectors. Europe has produced five of them and the Republic of Korea the remaining four. Once joined, the component will be 19.4 m in diameter, 11.4 m high and weigh approximately 5200 tons. It has also undergone very detailed inspections to comply with strict standards set by France’s Nuclear Safety Authority.

Marc Lachaise, Director of Fusion for Energy (F4E) praised the achievement resulting from the collaboration between all parties, identifying it as the foundation of their success.  “Europe’s final sector results from the strong partnership between F4E, the consortium of Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse, and Walter Tosto. We worked as one team, in an integrated manner with ITER Organization, and built on the lessons learned from ITER Korea in producing the rest of the sectors. Our commitment to deliver and the resilience of our teams have brought us to the finish line. It’s a high-tech component made in Europe, by European companies, at a time when knowledge and expertise matter in the fusion race. Thanks to the EU’s involvement in ITER, F4E, together with the companies, is shaping the potential of fusion energy.”  

According to Daniela Gentile, CEO of Ansaldo Nucleare, “The delivery of the fifth and final vacuum vessel sector manufactured by the consortium represents the culmination of a great journey of commitment, innovation and industrial collaboration and excellence. We are proud to have contributed to one of the world's most ambitious scientific programs, demonstrating the capability of European industries to deliver highly complex technologies that will support the advancement of fusion energy.”

For Luca Oriani, President of New Plant Delivery, Westinghouse, “Delivering this vacuum vessel is a significant achievement for Westinghouse and our consortium partners. Our Monfalcone teams have worked toward this milestone for many years, and we look forward to applying their experience to future projects of similar scale around the world.”

Luca Tosto, CEO of Walter Tosto, commented on the significance of this milestone. “The ITER project has represented an industrial and technological challenge of extraordinary value for Walter Tosto. We worked on components that are unique, in an environment where the technology itself was evolving. It was this complexity that helped us to grow and shaped our capabilities for the years to come. The knowledge, technology and expertise will always be a part of our industrial heritage.”  

It took more than 2 million hours to produce Europe’s five sectors, counting in total 750 km of welding beads. The production of segments, the four parts that make a sector, was carried out in Westinghouse, Monfalcone, and in Walter Tosto, Chieti. Once the segments were assembled, they were welded to become one sector. Then, the component was transported by sea and land to reach the ITER site — the final destination.