L&T achieves milestone in manufacturing cryostat for Global Fusion Project

The heavy engineering arm of Larsen & Toubro has flagged-off the most complex and final assembly of cryostat -- the largest stainless-steel, high-vacuum pressure chamber in the world.

"This is an important milestone in the global nuclear fusion arena as well as a moment of pride for the Make in India initiative," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

India is among the seven elite countries funding the 20 billion dollar International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme at Cadarache in France. This is one of the world's largest research project that seeks to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power.

"Today, in Hazira, we celebrate with you the completion of fabrication of all the segments of cryostat, including most recently the segments of the cryostat lid -- again achieved under these challenging conditions," said ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot. L&T's CEO and Managing Director S N Subrahmanyan said the company used innovative and digital manufacturing techniques to ensure uninterrupted supply of high-quality, high-precision assemblies to ITER.

"This will further pave a way for the installation of cryostat at the project site in France and eventually lead to the demonstration of large-scale feasibility of fusion power."

Subrahmanyan said the initiative has empowered India to tread towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat by acquiring knowledge in this highly specialised field of science and technology.

The cryostat assembly referred to as the top lid weighing 650 metric tonnes will be installed with other cryostat segments for ITER in a reactor pit in southern France. L&T has already delivered the base section, the lower cylinder and the upper cylinder for the cryostat.

The cryostat's function is to provide cooling to the fusion reactor and to keep very high temperatures at its core under control.

L&T's heavy engineering business won the prestigious contract in 2012. ITER India, a wing of the Department of Atomic Energy, is the overall in-charge of the Indian participation for this ambitious mega scientific project.

( With inputs from ANI )