The UK government has announced a record £2.5bn ($3.4bn) investment in fusion energy, which includes support for the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), which will be built at the site of the former West Burton A coal power station near Retford and Gainsborough.
The STEP programme is intended to be the first prototype fusion energy plant in the world when operational in the 2040s. STEP works by combining hydrogen gases, deuterium and tritium, which are heated to over 150m degrees Celsius and confined within a powerful magnetic field. The energy produced can then be used to create steam, to turn a turbine, generating electricity.
STEP is intended to deliver predictable net electricity greater than 100 MW; to exploit fusion energy beyond electricity production; to ensure tritium self-sufficiency; to qualify materials and components under appropriate fusion conditions; and to develop a viable path to affordable lifecycle costs. The STEP fusion facility will also support a skills centre and a business park.
The site was chosen by the government in 2022, with the project’s delivery expected to create over 10,000 jobs during construction and operations. The announcement shows the government’s firm commitment to becoming a “clean energy superpower” by turbocharging innovation in an area that’s produced conventional power for generations.
“The UK is the world leader in fusion energy research today, and STEP is the beacon programme that aims to take fusion from research to commercial success, generating high quality jobs, multiple spin offs and boosting the economy nationally and in the East Midlands where we will build the first plant,” said Paul Methven, CEO of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS), the body responsible for delivering STEP. UKIFS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Group.
He added: “Securing a global lead in such a vital new technology requires bold action; the government has rightly been bold today and we look forward to delivering the practical steps that will realise the vision of the UK leading in this exciting new sector.”
During a recent visit to the UK’s Fusion Research Campus at Culham, near Oxford, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband commented: “After scientists first theorised over 70 years ago that it could be possible, we are now within grasping distance of unlocking the power of the sun and providing families with secure, clean, unlimited energy.”
