The replacement central solenoid module, a 110-ton package, arrived at the ITER site on January 16 after a long journey from the United States. The final leg of the journey was handled by Istrans, a French company specializing in the transport of exceptional loads, via the route specially designed for heavy convoys to ITER.
After arriving at the port of Fos-sur-Mer by ship, the module was transferred to a specially adapted trailer to travel the ITER route, which requires precise adjustments to the load and route in order to pass through road infrastructure. More than 80 police officers accompanied the convoy for security and coordination, particularly when passing through sensitive areas such as Natura 2000 protected areas.
Istrans and its teams handled the technical transport of this component to ITER, before placing it on its supports and transferring it to a storage building where it will be kept as a spare part for the tokamak's central solenoid.
Based in Saint-Martin-de-Crau (Bouches-du-Rhône), Istrans is a family business that has been operating since 1972 in the road transport of indivisible loads and the handling of oversized loads. It operates both in France and across Europe, with specialized equipment for moving large industrial components.
After a three-day journey, mainly at night, along the ITER route, the replacement central solenoid module was lowered onto pedestals at ITER before being moved to a building for storage.
