The Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) has awarded the joint venture formed by INGECID, Asturfeito and Empresarios Agrupados Internacional, the pre-commercial public procurement contract for the development of the technological validator for the test cell of the IFMIF-DONES project (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – DEMO-Oriented Neutron Source).

Located in Granada, IFMIF-DONES is a scientific facility designed to support the development of nuclear fusion energy, a clean, safe and sustainable type of energy. Its main objective is to test and evaluate advanced materials that can withstand the extreme conditions inside a nuclear fusion reactor, such as high temperatures and high doses of radiation. This project will evaluate how materials react to neutron radiation generated in a fusion reactor-like environment. Its development is aimed at preparing the next generation of fusion reactors, as a DEMO (Demonstration Power Plant), the intermediate step before commercial reactors.

Specifically, the scope of the project awarded to the joint venture includes the design, manufacture, assembly and testing of the validator consisting of the vacuum vessel, the lithium target, the radiological shielding, the service systems and the equipment control system.

The contract is co-financed by CDTI and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2021-2027.