A record £2.5 billion of additional funding has been announced
this week by the Rt Hon , Chancellor of the Exchequer,
to support the development of the world's first fusion power
plant.
The new prototype plant, known as STEP (Spherical Tokamak for
Energy Production) will be built at the site of the former West
Burton A coal power station near Retford and Gainsborough. The
site was chosen by the government in 2022 as the location for the
project, with the project's delivery expected to create over
10,000 jobs ranging from construction to 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.
A groundbreaking and world-first scientific endeavour, STEP works
by combining hydrogen gases, deuterium and tritium, which are
heated to over 150 million 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 - just
like in any conventional power plant.
Paul Methven CB, CEO of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions, the body
responsible for delivering the STEP prototype fusion energy power
plant, warmly welcomed the additional funding and said:
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.
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.
The end of coal power in Nottinghamshire was marked by the
closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in late 2024. With the
creation of STEP in West Burton, Nottinghamshire's “Megawatt
Valley” will continue to be at the heart of the UK's energy
production - whilst leading the world in creating the green,
sustainable energy of the future.
The record-breaking £2.5 billion of additional funding announced
this week shows the government's firm commitment to fusion as a
core part of our future energy mix, and to this significant
investment in the economy in Nottinghamshire and the East
Midlands.
During a recent visit to the UK's Fusion Research Campus at
Culham, Energy Secretary 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.
Notes to Editors
UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) is a wholly owned
subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Group,
responsible for the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy
Production) programme to deliver the UK's prototype fusion energy
plant.
Targeting first operations in 2040, UKIFS will lead STEP's
integrated delivery team to design and build the prototype fusion
energy plant at West Burton, a former coal-fired power station
site in Nottinghamshire.
