L&T secures order for nuclear fusion project in France

The company stated that it will be responsible for deploying critical advanced technologies to assemble ports and complex components with the Vacuum Vessel at the ITER facility in Cadarache, Southern France.

The company said "Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has won new order from the France-headquartered intergovernmental body - the ITER organisation for deployment of critical advanced technologies for assembly of ports & complex parts with the Vacuum Vessel at the world's largest nuclear fusion project at Cadarache in Southern France".

L&T's expertise in advanced manufacturing will be central to the project, which aims to replicate the nuclear fusion process that powers the Sun to create a large-scale, carbon-free energy source.

In addition to the order, L&T has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ITER to establish a technical collaboration on this ambitious project.

Through the MoU, L&T will support ITER in developing state-of-the-art technology and pioneering hardware for fusion systems that will be installed inside the ITER Tokamak's Vacuum Vessel, helping control the plasma essential for fusion energy production.

The ITER project involves complex construction and assembly tasks, with many activities centered around the Tokamak pit, a crucial area within the facility. L&T will play a key role in managing these operations, bringing its decades of high-tech engineering experience to the table.

"I'm happy to announce the signing of this MoU with Larsen & Toubro. In previous contributions to ITER, L&T has demonstrated its reliability in high-tech manufacturing. This is vital to meeting the technology challenges of the ITER project. I wish to add that India has been a strong partner and contributor to ITER, and we look forward to continued collaboration" said Pietro Barabaschi, Director General of ITER.

L&T's involvement with ITER is not new. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, L&T manufactured and delivered the world's largest stainless-steel high-vacuum pressure vessel, known as the Cryostat, for ITER ahead of schedule.

This accomplishment underlined L&T's reliability and capabilities in high-tech manufacturing, which ITER recognized through the new collaboration.

Anil Parab, Whole-time Director & Sr. Executive Vice President of Heavy Engineering and L&T Valves, also spoke on the partnership, stated, "L&T and ITER are teaming up to combine their strengths to build the world's largest Tokamak, to prove the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source, based on the same principles that powers the Sun. The technical collaboration will showcase L&T's capabilities in high-tech manufacturing in global markets." (ANI)