1 June 2020
Assystem will play a key role on the development of two separate nuclear fusion reactors with two world leading fusion research centres.
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).
Meanwhile in the UK, Assystem has won a place on the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Engineering Design Services (EDS) Framework that coordinates their fusion research programme.
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: “This is a powerful win-win alliance. 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."
As a selected supplier on the UKAEA’s EDS Framework, Assystem will help drive the engineering work at the heart of 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.”
Once realised, commercial fusion could transform global power generation, being the cornerstone of a low carbon economy in the net-zero world.
Assystem has been involved in the development of fusion technology for decades, being one of the first engineering companies to support the development of ITER. Today, as Architect Engineer of ITER and a leading company in the Engage consortium, as well as the work realised through the Momentum consortium in order to manage and coordinate the assembly and installation of more than one million components for the ITER reactor, Assystem has unique experience. The company is also in charge of delivering the Divertor Remote Handling System (DRHS) for ITER.
Christian Jeanneau, Senior Vice President of Nuclear, Assystem said: “Assystem remains committed to the global progress and development of nuclear fusion and we are delighted to be collaborating with leading research centres of China and the UK on their experiments, where we aim to add value by combining nuclear expertise with digital and data tools to provide enhanced engineering services.”
