Chinese-French consortium awarded the contract for the ITER vacuum vessel

The TAC-1 consortium, consisting of China Nuclear Power Engineering and Framatome, has been awarded a contract to produce sub-assembly modules for the vacuum vessel of the ITER fusion project in France. The vacuum vessel will contain fusion reactions and serve as a safety barrier. It consists of nine large steel sectors, each weighing 440 tonnes, forming a structure weighing 8,500 tonnes after assembly. The assembly process involves integrating thermal shields and field coils onto the vessel sector modules before hoisting them into place. The manufacturing of these sectors is divided between the EU and South Korea, with delivery schedules spanning 35 months. Both parties have produced and delivered sectors, with South Korea completing four, the EU manufacturing five, and Italy being involved in the production process.