Westinghouse, ITER Sign $180-Million Contract to Advance Nuclear Fusion

Westinghouse Electric Co. and officials with the ITER project in France signed a contract for $180 million for the assembly of the vacuum vessel for the fusion reactor. This is a key milestone in the construction of the ITER reactor, leading the way toward the use of fusion as a practical future source of reliable carbon-free energy.

Westinghouse will be responsible for completing the vacuum vessel, which is ITER’s most critical component: a hermetically sealed, double-walled steel container that will house the fusion plasma. When all the vacuum vessel sectors are in place, Westinghouse will start the most intensive stage of ITER assembly, which involves simultaneously welding the nine sectors to form a single, circular ring-shaped chamber (also known as a torus).

“ITER is pleased to have Westinghouse Electric Company taking on this significant role in our first-of-a kind project,” said Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General. “With decades of leadership in nuclear power plant design and construction, we are confident that Westinghouse will be able to apply its remarkable expertise to the assembly of the ITER Tokamak.”

“Westinghouse has always been at the forefront of energy innovation, and we are proud to work with ITER on this breakthrough initiative that could ensure energy security for generations to come,” said Dan Sumner, Westinghouse Interim CEO. “Our expert teams look forward to bringing our world-class capabilities and expertise to the completion of this important project.”

Westinghouse has collaborated with ITER for over a decade and has played a key role in the manufacturing of key parts for ITER vacuum vessel, including the manufacturing of five vacuum vessel sectors in cooperation with its partners Ansaldo Nucleare and Walter Tosto. Westinghouse participation involved developing advanced fabrication techniques and collaborating with global partners to meet ITER’s high-quality requirements.

The ITER Tokamak pit with the two vacuum vessel sector modules installed. Westinghouse has participated in the fabrication of the sectors of the vacuum vessel, as part of the Fusion for Energy (F4E) Consortium with its partners Ansaldo Nucleare and Walter Tosto.

—This content was contributed by Westinghouse Electric Co.