Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero has officially launched Spain’s largest piece of research infrastructure ever: the ALBA synchrotron.

ALBA is the first synchrotron in Spain and will be used by 1,000 researchers a year when it becomes fully operational in 2011, says the Ministry of Science and Innovation. They will use the synchrotron radiation produced by the giant accelerator to probe the structures of chemicals, proteins and other substances.

The facility near Barcelona has been co-financed by the Catalan and Spanish governments to the tune of 201 million euros (press release). In Catalan, ‘alba’ means ‘dawn’.

“The word refers to the first dawn of morning light, which can drive away the shadows and discover the scenery of a new day. The ALBA synchrotron light has a similar effect, as it will make major scientific discoveries…” says a statement from regional government.

The facility will be run by the Consortium for the Construction, equipment and Exploitation of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory (CELLS).

Local coverage

El sincrotrón ya alumbra – El Pais

La nueva ‘ciudad’ Alba se gesta como proyecto a largo plazo – El Pais

España ya tiene su primer acelerador de partículas – El Mundo

Image: CELLS