The OHL Group Built the Largest Scientific Infrastructure in Spain

29. 04. 2010

On 22 March, the Prime Minister of the Spanish Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, launched the operation of the Laboratorio de Luz de Sincrotrón Alba facility located in Cerdanyola del Vallés near Barcelona. It is the largest scientific infrastructure ever built in Spain. The construction was executed by OHL and its operator is CELLS (The Consortium to Construct, Equip and Operate the Luz de Sincrotrón Laboratory), comprising of the Ministry for Science and Innovation and the Catalan Government.

The ceremony was also attended by Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, President of the OHL Group, José Montilla, Chairman of Generalitat, Cristina Garmendia, Minister for Science and Innovations, Josep Huget, Councillor for Innovations, Universities and Enterprises, and other significant officials. OHL was represented by the members of the Board of Directors, Baltasar Aymerich, Rafael Martín de Nicolás, who is also the General Director of OHL National Construction, and other representatives of this Division, Messrs. Carlos Sánchez Marín, Carlos Gispert and Juan José González.

Synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator, Alba is the first synchrotron built in Spain and at the same time the first workplace of this type in south-west Europe.  Putting it to operation meant a decisive step was completed under the programme of construction of significant scientific and technological facilities in Spain, a country that has already become the ninth ranked world power in the field of science. The above mentioned programme is to help move Spain even higher in the rankings of developed countries having significant scientific and technological facilities at their disposal.

The project implementation was assigned to the Catalan Division of OHL, specifically to the Civil Engineering Construction Branch. The high proportion of technologies and requirements for their faultless operation represented a big challenge for the implementation team. The technical demands and requirements with respect to quality, the schedule of works and safety and health at work that OHL had to cope with called for a significant number of procedures, the character of which was much closer to technological processes than standard construction projects.

Synchrotron zabírá plochu 22 870 m² a tvoří ho celkem tři budovy. Hlavní budova je ze železobetonu a skla s kruhovým půdorysem o průměru cca 140 m a její střecha má tvar ulity. Zbývající dvě budovy slouží k technickým, administrativním a dalším souvisejícím účelům. Vlastní zařízení se skládá z lineárního urychlovače, boosteru a skladovacího prstence. K dispozici má celkem sedm experimentálních zdrojů světla.

The synchrotron takes up an area of 22, 870 m² and comprises of three buildings altogether.  The main building is made from steel-reinforced concrete and glass and has a round ground plan with a diameter of about 140 m and a shell-shaped roof. The other two buildings serve for technical, administrative and other related purposes. The facility itself comprises of a linear accelerator, booster and storage ring. Altogether, it has seven experimental sources of light available.

OHL implemented the project in two phases. The first included ground construction work and construction of a service tunnel, foundations for construction objects, redevelopment work, lay-out of the critical premises, and the Alba tunnel construction. The construction project itself was implemented in the second phase – by constructing the main building of the synchrotron, technical and administrative background and the construction parts of the laboratory.  

The facility may be utilized for a number of various purposes. The radiation generated in the synchrotron is utilizable in many scientific fields – from physics and chemistry to medicine and biology. The possibilities of its utilization in industrial production of miniature objects, pharmacology or development of new materials are also very varied. It is also significantly used in molecular biology, medical therapy, as well as in sciences dealing with the environment and materials.

The “Luz de Sincrotrón Alba" laboratory is a facility of the third generation, making use of the latest technologies.  In addition, it is the only facility situated south of the Paris – Terst axis (with the exception of the workplace in Grenoble).  

Thanks to Alba, Spain has a good chance of being ranked among the elite groups of countries leading the way in scientific and technological progress and innovations. Furthermore, the construction and equipping of this facility shows the huge potential of the scientific industry, i.e. a group of innovative sectors creating new jobs and producing considerable means.  Concurrently they play an important role in the field of economic reconstruction and growth. It is a market that is in the initial phase of its formation in Spain, and its growth is accompanied with significant investments to innovations and development. It represents an important source of quality jobs and new opportunities for the industry sector as such.

The Alba construction was finished in December 2009. Installations will be gradually put into operation in the course of this year so as full operation might be started in 2011. After its proper operation starts up, Alba is expected to offer its services to about one thousand research workers every year.