Mace to build facility for world’s most powerful laser

A rendering of what the finished facility could look like. Image: Mace

Located at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, UK, the project will provide the specialist infrastructure needed to house and operate the world’s most powerful laser.

Following the successful completion of enabling works, the project is entering its main construction phase. Vulcan 20-20 will replace the existing Vulcan laser, which has supported research in plasma physics and high-energy density science for over four decades.

The new facility will house a 20 Petawatt laser system that is capable of delivering, in a single laser pulse, sufficient energy to help scientists recreate and study the extreme conditions found in space, explore new ways to produce clean energy through fusion, and push the boundaries of physics to uncover new discoveries about how the universe works.

Mace Construct will lead the construction of two 7m tall targeting bunkers, with walls and soffits up to 2m thick, formed using a specialised radiation-resistant concrete mix designed to shield beams a billion times hotter than the brightest sunlight.

Designed to meet the exacting standards of ultra-high precision environments, the building will feature specialist shielding, vibration isolation and ultra-clean spaces to support the performance of the laser system.

Rob Lemming, managing director for Public Sector and Life Sciences at Mace Construct called Vulcan 20-20 a, “landmark project for UK science.” 

The contract was awarded through the Southern Construction Framework. Construction is expected to complete in 2027, with commissioning and scientific operations to follow.