Global Fusion Project: L&T Completes Top Lid Assembly Of Cryostat At ITER In France

The heavy engineering arm of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has completed the Top Lid, the most complex and final assembly of Cryostat for the Global Fusion Project at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), France.

ITER is a collaboration project of 35 nations launched in 1985.

Located in France, it aims to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free energy source.

The 30-meter diameter Cryostat is the largest stainless-steel high-vacuum pressure chamber globally, intended to keep very high temperatures in the ITER fusion reactor core under control by providing cooling.

L&T's Heavy Engineering business won this prestigious contract from ITER India, a wing of the Department of Atomic Energy, for the ambitious mega scientific project, with a total project outlay of around $20 billion, conducted in collaboration with seven countries, including India.

"With this milestone, L&T Heavy Engineering has completed the entire manufacturing work planned at the site workshop assisted by its sub-contractors, ahead of schedule. The last stage to assemble the Top Lid inside the Tokamak Reactor Building will be performed in 2025," it added.

The ITER Organization and ITER India signed the Cryostat Procurement Arrangement in 2012. The first components for the 3,800-tonne heavy assembly took shape at the Larsen & Toubro factory in Hazira, India.

"Today is indeed a special day for the ITER project - an important part of the most ambitious clean and green energy project. With the completion of the Top Lid assembly, we have successfully fulfilled our project scope at the Cadarache site ahead of schedule. Once again L&T Heavy Engineering has demonstrated state of the art fabrication skills and impeccable capabilities in the global nuclear industry," Senior Vice President & Head, L&T Heavy Engineering said.

The project scope for L&T Heavy Engineering was divided into three aspects. Firstly, to manufacture sub-assemblies at its state-of-the-art Hazira Manufacturing Complex. The second aspect involved constructing a temporary workshop at the project site in Cadarache, France, to assemble various sectors. And finally, to integrate the Cryostat components at the workshop on-site and inside the Tokamak Reactor building.

The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion.