2020 was no ordinary year – for anyone. As people around the globe adapted to a new reality with Covid-19, so did ESS, with much visible progress to show for our efforts, and some memorable achievements too!
Looking back at 2020, you could say that ESS accomplished a surprisingly large part of what it set out to achieve during the year, allowing the project to evolve from a construction site into a scientific facility where critical infrastructure and components were being installed.
While many of the ESS in-kind partners across Europe responsible for providing ESS equipment and components faced lockdowns in their home countries and supply chain delays, and while work at ESS was affected by delays as a result of travel restrictions, ESS and its family of partners worked hard to keep people safe while still keeping the project moving forward.
While the main headlines for 2020 revolved around a global pandemic, for ESS, 2020 was more than a story about Covid-19. Anyone looking at the ESS site at the end of the year compared to the start, would report seeing significant visible progress – the various site buildings were largely complete; tower cranes and large earth-moving machinery were gone, and the site turned from brown to green.
The ESS story during 2020 was about adapting to a shifting reality with much dedication, perseverance, collaboration and a warrior's spirit. Learn more about ESS successes, challenges and adaptations during 2020 in our latest Activity Report here.