Europe signs its first Procurement Arrangements for IFMIF-DONES

Europe is ready to turn its commitment to IFMIF-DONES into action. Fusion for Energy (F4E) will provide a major contribution to build this unique scientific infrastructure, which will test materials for future fusion reactors. The European share, amounting to 25% of the costs, will include critical skills and technologies for the accelerator-based facility in Granada.

The DONES Programme is a partnership between Spain (host country), the EU, Croatia, Italy, and Japan, formalised last year through a multilateral agreement. Each party’s contribution is defined through a series of Procurement Arrangements. After months of intensive preparation, Europe formalised its first two arrangements this week. Marc Lachaise, Director of F4E, Moisés Weber, Director of the IFMIF-DONES España Consortium, and Philippe Cara, DONES Programme Manager, signed them on the sidelines of the eighth DONES Steering Committee meeting.

The Procurement Arrangements concern two different technologies. The first covers the injector, the source of the deuteron beam that will travel through the IFMIF-DONES accelerator. The system has been tested by F4E at the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) in Japan. The second involves raw EUROFER97 material, a low-activation steel developed for fusion. Approximately 15 tonnes of it will be needed for the target and test systems.

“With today’s signature, we reaffirm F4E’s commitment to delivering key in-kind contributions to the DONES Programme. Thanks to our experts now in the DONES team, we can build on the important lessons drawn from ITER and ensure the connection with IFMIF/EVEDA,” expressed F4E Director, Marc Lachaise. “Today was also a unique opportunity to meet the extended F4E team and to witness the progress made on site. Since the MIDA signature at the end of 2025, F4E has been a key player in the DONES Programme, working together with other partners, including Spain, Croatia, Japan and INFN Italy. IFMIF-DONES is a key facility on the roadmap towards fusion energy,” he added.

The DONES programme is already benefiting from Europe’s accumulated expertise. A team of F4E is posted on site and integrated into the international joint team to steer the programme forward. In this spirit, DONES is also building synergies with other F4E programmes. Besides LIPAc’s return of experience, Europe will capitalise on its know-how in fields like cryogenics, remote handling or building services.

Meanwhile, in Granada, excavators have started to prepare the ground for the main IFMIF-DONES facility. Construction works officially began last month, marking the transition to a new phase of project execution.