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Granada's particle accelerator moves from paperwork to bulldozers
Construction is finally under way in Escúzar, with the project already worth tens of millions to the local economy
After years of planning, agreements and bureaucratic hurdles, work has genuinely begun on IFMIF-DONES, the particle accelerator being built in Escúzar, Granada. Machines are now on site, and the project has officially entered its construction phase.
Pedro Fernández, the Spanish Government Delegate in Andalucía, visited the site alongside the Deputy Government Delegate in Granada, José Antonio Montilla, the interim director of the IFMIF-DONES Consortium, Moisés Weber, and Escúzar's mayor, Antonio Arrabal. "This large scientific facility will put this town on the international map of research for the generation of clean energy," Fernández said.The work underway now, fencing the plot, installing auxiliary infrastructure and the initial earthmoving, covers a site of around 100,000 square metres. "We said that work on raising the main building would begin after the summer, and that's exactly what has happened," Fernández noted, adding that another milestone is expected in around two months. Foundation work and the main building's structure will follow during 2027. The main building is expected to be largely complete by 2029, with the facility becoming fully operational a few years later, around 2034 to 2035.
One thing standing in the way isn't on the Escúzar site at all. The 220 kilovolt Saleres substation, being developed by Redeia, is described by Fernández as an "essential element" for the project, and he's asked the Andalusian Regional Government to speed up its processing. The substation will also help reinforce the electricity grid in the area and carry power from nearby wind farms in the Lecrín Valley.
The project is already creating jobs too. By the end of the year, staffing is expected to reach around 100 people, with 34 recruitment processes currently open and roughly 700 applications received so far.
The economic picture stretching further out is striking. A new impact study presented by Weber suggests the project could generate an average of €5 million in revenue per month for the next six years. "It's as if we were building what has already been built in Escúzar every quarter," he said.
Between 2022 and 2025 alone, the wider ecosystem around the project has generated more than €264 million in awarded contracts, with Granada based companies securing around €52 million of that. Around 590 high value jobs have been created, and the accelerator has already brought an extra 22,000 overnight stays to Granada's hotels over the past five years.
And that's all with the project only 10% complete. Between €2.6 billion and €3.3 billion is still to be invested before it's finished, with the total construction budget put at €600 million, most of it funded by Spain and European structural funds.
Images: wikicommons and disputación de Granada
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