India’s Manufacturers Are Benefiting in Contribution to ITER International Fusion Project

July 30, 2019(EIRNS)—A number of Indian manufacturers are actively involved in the International Thermal Experimental Reactor (ITER) nuclear fusion research and engineering project that will be the world’s biggest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment in the process of setting up in Saint-Paul-les-Durance, in southern France, according to an article posted by IANS news agency.

The 1,250-ton cryostat base, the initial two segments of which have been built by Mumbai-based multinational Larsen and Toubro (L&T), is India’s biggest single procurement contribution so far. The cryostat base will be the first machine component to be brought down into the assembly pit in March 2020. The upper cylinder is being assembled in L&T’s India facility. “The ITER facility offers industry and scientific community an unparalleled opportunity to exhibit its strength, to develop and to learn how to deliver the energy of future,” ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot revealed to IANS a week ago in L&T’s cryostat workshop.

Besides the cryostat, a number of Indian public and private sector companies, including INOX India Ltd, Engineers India Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services, and Avsarala Technologies, are involved in various other aspects of the project. “Besides cryostat, Indian companies are providing all cooling systems, cryolines, warmlines, neutron seals and many other components. So we can proudly say that Indian industry is doing very well in terms of delivery of equipment for the project,” Bigot said.

Biswanath Sarkar, who is the head of cooling systems engineering division, told IANS that approximately 30 Indian firms are directly and indirectly involved. This has provided direct and indirect employment to thousands of skilled engineers and technicians and unskilled manpower.