IFMIF-DONES is designed to test and qualify materials for future nuclear power plants
The European Commission has approved an investment of €202m ($234m) for the construction and commissioning of the planned IFMIF-DONES* particle accelerator in Escúzar, near Granada in southern Spain, representing approximately 25% of the total cost of the project.
The IFMIF-DONES facility is part of European plans for developing fusion energy. Initial site preparation work for the facility began in October 2023.
It is designed to test and qualify materials for future fusion power plants and will be a critical component in the development of fusion energy, specifically for the Demo plant, the planned successor to the €20bn International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) fusion project in the south of France.
IFMIF-DONES will use a high-intensity neutron source to simulate the conditions materials will experience in a fusion reactor, allowing scientists to study their behaviour under those harsh conditions.
Marc Lachaise, director of Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU organisation for fusion based in Barcelona, said: “The approval of the European contribution to IFMIF-DONES sends a clear message: Europe is committed to making fusion energy a reality through the work of F4E teams and aspires to be a global leader in this field.”
Lachaise added: “IFMIF-DONES is now officially part of the European fusion roadmap. With this €202 million investment, F4E will engage European industry, SMEs, and research centres through various contracts.
The European Commission contribution was approved during a meeting at F4E’s headquarters in Barcelona. It was conditional on Spain securing full funding for the construction of the facility, along with the establishment of an appropriate legal framework.
Both conditions have now been met, following confirmed participation by Croatia, Japan, and Italy, and the drafting of an agreement to regulate cooperation between the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the IFMIF-DONES Spain Consortium, the European Commission, F4E, and other potential international partners.
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy. It is the same process that powers the sun and the stars and could potentially provide limitless amounts of energy.
* IFMIF-DONES stands for Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – DEMO Oriented NEutron Source.
Initial site preparation work for the facility, near Granada in southern Spain, began in October 2023. Courtesy F4E.
