ITER site infrastructure works set to start

The ITER site is set to go through one of its biggest transformations with the signature of the site infrastructure works contract thanks to which a variety of civil engineering works such as lighting, drainage, special foundations, roads and trenches will be carried out. The value of contract, awarded to COMSA EMTE, is in the range of 35 million Euros and is expected to run for five years. 80 people will be deployed on the ITER site in order to ensure the co-ordination of the activities and reconfigure the 500.000 square metres that will be directly affected by the works.

The ITER site in figures:
The size of the ITER platform is 42 hectares and Europe is the party responsible for the delivery of the 39 buildings that the ITER platform will host. Currently, the personnel directly involved in construction counts 200 people and by mid-2014 it is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 3,000. One of the key challenges is to accommodate the needs of the rapidly growing workforce and guarantee an optimal use of space to the different companies operating on the ground, in order to carry out the construction of all infrastructures in parallel and on time.
Following the successful completion of the site adaptation activities, the site infrastructure works aim to interconnect all buildings and enable them to perform their functions.

The scope of the site infrastructure works contract:
The civil engineering works carried out through this contract will deliver to the ITER site a fully integrated drainage system comprising of an industrial water drainage system to collect process discharges, a precipitation drainage system to collect runoff water from all impermeable surfaces on the site and sanitary drainage to collect non-nuclear laundries, waters and wastes from the buildings.

Outdoor lighting will be installed in order to ensure occupational safety on the ITER platform and in parallel, indoor lighting will equip all buildings by means of power outlet boxes, sub-distribution panels, wiring, circuits and pull boxes. Furthermore, service trenches will be developed to host the different types of networks between buildings and installations following each particular routing.

Roads, parking and laydown areas will be built to allow cars, trucks, machines and cranes to access all buildings and installations on the ITER platform. Special foundations, mainly slabs, to support equipment and installations across the site will be constructed.

A water management system comprising of potable water for consumption, hot water for the heating of buildings and a fire protection water system will be delivered. A components cooling water network will be built to transfer heat from the systems for heat removal and it will operate side by side with the heat rejection system that will buffer heat loads during operation through an open loop system consisting of cooling towers, cold and hot basins, water pumps, valves, sensors and interconnected piping.

Background information:
MEMO: Fusion for Energy signs site infrastructure works contract