Westinghouse Electric Company reported that it has signed a contract with ITER for $180 million to assemble a vacuum vessel for a fusion reactor.
"This breakthrough initiative … could ensure energy security for generations to come," said Dan Sumner, Westinghouse interim CEO.
The contract is a huge milestone in the reactor construction process, which should lead toward a broader use of fusion for reliable, carbon-free energy.
Nuclear fusion is the process of two light atoms combining to form one heavier atom. This merging releases a tremendous amount of energy. It is the same reaction that powers the sun, and environmentalists and clean energy enthusiasts are hopeful that it can provide humans with a limitless energy source that could replace oil and gas that pollute the air, contribute to the warming of the planet, and create human health concerns.
Nuclear fusion is part of the attempt to diversify clean energy sources so the planet can have a cleaner future.
ITER is a scientific project with the goal of demonstrating whether widespread use of fusion energy is possible. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is a global collaboration involving the United States, the European Union, China, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, among the 27 participating countries. The reactor is under construction in Saint Paul-lès-Durance in the south of France.
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The countries have contributed resources "to conquer one of the greatest frontiers in science –– reproducing on Earth the boundless energy that fuels the sun and the stars," the ITER website explained.
ITER will test the technologies that are essential for a fusion reactor, and thousands of engineers and scientists have been working on the design since the idea was born in 1985. Full-scale operations are projected to begin in 2039.
Much of ITER's construction is done in separate parts within the countries that are contributing the components. Westinghouse's responsibility to complete the vacuum vessel is one of the most critical parts. Once each of the nine hermetically sealed, double-walled steel containers is in place, Westinghouse will weld them together into a singular chamber.
ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi said: "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."
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