A consortium of Italian companies has won the European tender worth over 12 million euros for the technical and economic feasibility study of the large underground research infrastructure of the Einstein Telescope, the future gravitational wave detector, which Italy has applied to host in Sardinia.
The consortium is led by Rocksoil of Rome, leader in the design of underground works with high technological content, together with Leonardo European Consortium for engineering and architecture of Cagliari, Ferro Engineering of Turin, Criteria of Cagliari, which deals with monitoring and environmental studies, and then Inar of Milan (engineering and consultancy company), Gdp Geomin of Turin (works in civil engineering and environmental design) and Geotec of Campobasso, which provides geotechnical services.
The results of the feasibility study, which is expected to be completed in 18 months, will be fundamental for Italy's bid to host the future underground detector.
“Given the design complexity of the Einstein Telescope infrastructure and the stringent requirements imposed by the scientific community, the study will have to investigate its many different aspects”, explains Gaetano Schillaci, sole manager of the procedure: “Among these, the geology of the chosen area , the optimal location and depth of the observatory, the excavation and construction techniques, the management of materials, the environmental impact and finally the costs".
“From the point of view of the investments that Italy is making to support its candidacy, the award of the study is a very important element for the international competition - comments Monique Bossi, manager of Etic, the Italian consortium dedicated to the Einstein Telescope - and I think it is right to also highlight the incredible work carried out by the team, which ensured that all the formal procedures of the European tender were carried out with the utmost rigor and within the expected timescales".
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