Commissioning and first results of the OLMAT facility

•A new facility for studies of potential divertor targets under the high heat flux conditions of a fusion reactor has been commissioned and characterized.•Heat Flux factors up to FHF = 19 MW/m2.s1/2 for W were obtained.•The facility is particularly oriented to Liquid Metal Alternative targets.•It is provided with devoted diagnostics to characterize the plasma generated in the interaction between the heat source (NBI) and the target.•It will allow for studies of synergy between long heat pulses and transient, type i ELMs burst by using a high power fiber laser.•Local plasma characterization allows for Plasma Material Interaction studies other the high heat load resilience.