International legal practice Norton Rose has advised the EU agency, Fusion for Energy, on a contract in excess of €250m for the design and construction of a tokamak reactor hall and associated infrastructure for a fusion reactor complex at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project in Cadarache, France.
Fusion for Energy was established to deliver the EU’s contribution to the €13bn ITER Project, a first-of-a-kind collaboration in the energy sector, supported by the EU, USA, Russia, India, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, collectively representing roughly half of the world’s population.
The purpose of the ITER Project is to build what will be the largest experimental fusion reactor in the world, with the aim of demonstrating the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a practical means of generating electricity. If the process can be successfully scaled up, the project will pave the way for similar reactors to be built on a commercial basis, with the ability to generate vast amounts of energy from raw materials of almost limitless abundance, without producing greenhouse gases or the high-level nuclear waste that arises in nuclear fission reactors.
The Norton Rose team was led by partners Donald Warnock and Andrew Buisson and assisted by associates Jerome Dunne, Matt Hardwick and Tom Swarbrick.
Andrew Buisson, Partner, Norton Rose, said:
“The negotiation of this Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract presented a number of complex issues. The EPC contract had to recognise the bespoke nature of the ITER project as an international collaboration, as well as the intrinsic difficulties arising from the complex interactions that would arise between major contract packages working in close proximity on the site.”
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Fusion for Energy on this important project which demonstrates the importance of researching nuclear fusion as a potential future energy source.”
The signing of the contract between Fusion for Energy and a joint venture of Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Ferrovial Agroman and Razel-Bec took place on 20 December 2012.
Norton Rose LLP are also advising Fusion for Energy on two other major design and build contracts in procurement, comprising an Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) works package and a mechanical handling package.
