Jacobs has been selected to design and deliver the first plasma Radiological Environmental Monitoring System (REMS), a key safety system for ITER, the world’s largest fusion energy experiment.

ITER, an international experiment involving 35 countries, is seeking to prove the viability of fusion energy by building the world’s largest fusion device at St-Paul-lès-Durance, France, and demonstrating that it can produce more energy than is needed to power its plasma. Additional REMS equipment will be required for subsequent operations.

The first plasma REMS, which protects workers and the environment against ionizing radiation by monitoring radiological activity, is needed for the milestone moment when ITER starts operations.

Fusion for Energy (F4E), the organization responsible for the European Union’s contribution to ITER, amounting to nearly half of the project, estimates the contract for final design, procurement, installation and commissioning at $4.2m (€3.5m).

F4E has also reselected Jacobs as its principal supplier of instrumentation and control systems support under a new framework contract covering ITER’s upcoming nuclear safety needs over the next seven years. Jacobs will prepare technical specifications and support F4E to oversee project delivery and acceptance of systems. F4E estimates the maximum value of the contract at $10.6m (€9m). Jacobs is already carrying out this work as the incumbent on a previous framework.

“We will leverage Jacobs’ leading edge technical and project integration capabilities to deliver this technically complex project,” said Jacobs energy, security and technology senior vice-president Karen Wiemelt. “We aim to bring together the best equipment suppliers from across Europe with Jacobs, to deliver a robust integrated system to support ITER’s first plasma Radiological Monitoring System, and to lay the foundation for subsequent phases of work to support future fusion power operations.”

Jacobs previously delivered the REMS preliminary design under a separate contract. The new project will be carried out at the ITER site and at Jacobs’ offices across Europe.