The roadmap for European nuclear power is updated thanks to Italy. The €20 billion Iter project should move into the testing phase in the Cadarache plant in France in 2025. Italian-based facilities are working towards this goal: Fusion for Energy (F4E), Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse and Walter Tosto. Together they presented the Vacuum Vessel in Monfalcone, one of the devices that allows nuclear plasma to generate energy without waste or residues. In practice, a mega steel container.
Fusion takes place in a high-tech environment, so the ring where the process takes place must be very well prepared. Nine structures of this type that can withstand the heat are planned, others will arrive from Korea. In Italy it took 10 years of work 150 professionals, over 20 thousand hours of work. The container that leaves for France has a diameter of 19,4 meters and is 11 meters high. The work also involved the Walter Tosto company of Chieti. According to the plans, the first European fusion power plant should be ready for the 2035 a date that roughly coincides with the European energy transition goals.
European nuclear, skills and challenge
“The first European sector is the result of the partnership between F4E, the Ansaldo Nucleare consortium, Westinghouse (Mangiarotti), Walter Tosto and the Iter Organization”, explained Marc Lachaise, director of Fusion for Energy. It is said that Iter contributes to strengthening Europe's competitiveness. Italy must remain in this plan. It has the right skills and professional resources to face the new energy challenges. The startups that work on small modular reactors, on the opposite side to the large power plants, are Italian. "We are proud of our work - he said Daniela Gentile, CEO of Ansaldo Nucleare – because the completion of this sector marks a milestone not only for the Iter project but also for the future of fusion energy, demonstrating the capabilities of the Italian nuclear supply chain”. The European energy requirement is not decreasing and the complementarity, in the medium to long term, of more energy sources It is the best shared solution. Little by little.