AtkinsRéalis wins nuclear fusion engineering support contract with US government

Project management company AtkinsRéalis has won an engineering support services contract with the US Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), as it attempts to develop nuclear fusion on a commercial scale.

The contract, which involves AtkinsRéalis’s partners Jacobs Technology and Longenecker Associates, lasts for three years, with an option to extend by two years and has a ceiling value of US$50 million.

Services provided by AtkinsRéalis and its partners include support for design of future upgrades to the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U), the primary fusion experiment and user facility at PPPL; design and fabrication support of plasma diagnostic and heating sub-systems for ITER, the international fusion facility being constructed in France, where AtkinsRéalis has been the Architect Engineer since 2010 as a member of the Engage consortium; as well as conceptual design of electricity-generating fusion plants; and development of physics and technology advances that can improve the economics of fusion plants.

Ian L. Edwards, president and chief executive officer, AtkinsRéalis said, “Supporting the delivery of fusion on a commercial scale to offer safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy is another example of how we are leveraging our best-in-class engineering services to help break the world’s reliance on less-sustainable alternatives and advance the global energy transition.”

Joe St. Julian, president, nuclear, AtkinsRéalis, added, “This work represents a significant opportunity for AtkinsRéalis to contribute to a highly visible national and international priority program, bolstering the field of fusion research and implementation.

“Providing management, design, engineering and analysis services to enable PPPL’s science mission accomplishments and initiatives will ultimately help accelerate the commercialization of fusion energy, unlocking its potential as a clean, safe and secure energy source of the future.”