°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ

The Project

Building °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ

In English: An aerial photo of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ workshite, showing a large collection of buildings and cranes which are building the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. En Français: Photo aérienne du chantier du programme °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ et constructio d'°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, montrant le Bâtiment tokamak et de nombreux bâtiments annexes ainsi que des grues.

The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Project is currently under construction on a 180-hectare site in southern France.

Thirty-nine buildings and technical areas house the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Tokamak and its plant systems. The heart of the facility—the Tokamak Building—is a seven-storey structure in reinforced concrete that sits 13 metres below the platform level and 60 metres above. Pre-assembly of Tokamak components takes place in the adjacent Assembly Hall. Other auxiliary buildings in the vicinity of the Tokamak Building include cooling towers, electrical installations, a control room, facilities for the management of waste, and the cryogenics plant that will provide liquid helium to cool the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ magnets.

Europe, as part of its commitments to the project, is building nearly all of the platform buildings and site infrastructure.

Each building, once structurally complete, is handed over to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization for the installation and assembly of equipment. According to the European Domestic Agency, the number of workers involved in site construction peaked in 2017-2018 at approximately 2,000 people. Now, although there are still European construction teams on site, a large additional workforce is contributing to machine and plant assembly and installation operations.  An estimated 5,000 people are regularly present on the worksite, including management, engineering and supervisory teams from the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization, the European Domestic Agency, and their contractors.

The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization has overall responsibility for the successful integration and assembly of components delivered to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ site by the seven °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Members. Machine assembly began in 2020. See the assembly pages to read about progress. 

Construction of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ scientific installation began in 2010. In the centre of the platform, in the Tokamak Complex, the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ machine is taking shape. (Photo: °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization/EJF Riche, September 2023)

To see all the projects of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ construction, see the Projects Underway and Archives pages.

Main construction milestones:

2006               Signature of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Agreement
2007-2009     Land clearing and levelling
2010-2014     Ground support structure and seismic foundations for the tokamak
2012               Nuclear licensing milestone: °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ becomes a Basic Nuclear Installation under French law
2014-2023     Construction of the Tokamak Complex
2010-2024     Construction of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ plant
2020               Start of machine assembly
2023               Completion of Tokamak Building civil works

Take a virtual tour of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ construction .

See the latest drone video here.