Korea's Eugene MS Wins KRW 11.4 Billion Order for ITER Core Components

Korea's Eugene MS announced on August 31 that it has signed a contract with the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) to produce and supply the second batch of vacuum vessel port sealing flanges for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

The contract is valued at approximately KRW 11.4 billion, equivalent to about 44% of Eugene MS's 2025 revenue of KRW 25.9 billion. The contract period runs through December 2030. Under the arrangement, the sealing flanges will be delivered to the ITER Organization in three batches, with final inspection and related procedures scheduled for completion by June 30, 2031.

The ITER vacuum vessel port sealing flanges consist of large fasteners and other components, primarily used to secure port plugs and seal the vacuum vessel ports. Located at the boundary between the vacuum vessel and external systems, these components are critical for preventing leaks and maintaining the ultra-high vacuum environment of the vacuum vessel. The internal volume of the ITER vacuum vessel is approximately 1,400 cubic meters, imposing extremely high requirements on boundary sealing performance.

The second batch of sealing flanges will cover the entire ITER operational cycle, from the start of research operations through the first and second deuterium-tritium campaigns, with applications spanning 20 port openings across 17 equatorial ports and 3 lower ports of the vacuum vessel.

This tender adopted a technology-oriented evaluation approach, with the winning bidder determined by combined technical and price assessments. The technical evaluation carried a weight of 70%, while the price evaluation carried a weight of 30%, and only companies with an average technical evaluation score of 85% or above were eligible for selection. Eugene MS ultimately secured the order through its full-cycle execution capabilities spanning design, manufacturing, inspection, and quality assurance.

Eugene MS stated that this project expands its ITER-related business from assembly equipment supply to include VS coil on-site winding and vacuum vessel port sealing flanges. The company plans to continue developing its business around core equipment, specialized manufacturing technologies, and vacuum boundary components required for fusion power plant construction.