The construction of the IFMIF-DONES infrastructure has reached a new milestone with the start this week of preparatory works for the construction of the Main Building, the future facility that will house the accelerator and the installation’s principal scientific and technological systems. This development follows the signing, last August, of the fourth Procurement Arrangement (PA) under the DONES Programme, covering the facility’s buildings and site infrastructure.

 

The Joint Venture (UTE) formed by Ferrovial, FCC and Añil has begun the first on-site activities, including perimeter fencing, the installation of temporary construction facilities and the initial earthworks required to prepare the ground for the next phases of construction.

 

The infrastructure will be deployed on a site of approximately 100,000 square metres, where all the buildings and plant systems that will make up one of Europe’s most advanced scientific facilities for fusion materials research will be integrated.

 

According to the current schedule, excavation works for the area where the Main Building will be located are expected to begin before the end of this year. During 2027, this will be followed by foundation and structural construction works, with the objective of having the building substantially completed by 2029. The Main Building will accommodate the facility’s most critical systems, including the accelerator, the Test Cell and a significant part of the auxiliary systems required for its operation.

 

The start of these activities represents another important step forward in the realization of IFMIF-DONES and marks the beginning of a particularly intensive phase of the project. Over the coming months, activity on site will progressively increase through the deployment of additional personnel, machinery and construction resources needed to deliver a scientific infrastructure of this complexity.

 

With this progress, the DONES Programme continues to achieve the milestones planned for its construction phase and further consolidates the transition from design and planning activities to the implementation of the key elements that will shape the future scientific infrastructure.