The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has released its five-year plan to accelerate the growth of the UK nuclear fusion industry and ‘maintain the UK’s position as a global thought-leader in the field’.
In March, the UK government announced £2.5 billion for the fusion sector between 2026 and 2030 as part of its industrial strategy.
UKAEA’s plan – released earlier this month – assigns £1.3 billion for the next phase of the UK’s prototype fusion power plant in West Burton, Nottinghamshire, as well as £920 million for building and operating fusion research facilities across the UK. The rest of the budget is set for projects that foster international collaboration and develop the next generation of fusion scientists.
UKAEA said that it will also ‘focus its work with industry and academia to build knowledge and capability’ to address the challenges of nuclear fusion. This includes controlling plasma at the heart of fusion reactors, developing the nuclear fuel cycle and making advanced fusion materials.
Nuclear fusion offers a sustainable way of producing energy by forcing hydrogen isotopes together under high pressures and temperatures. This process is highly efficient – generating more energy per gram than any other fuel source – and does not create any carbon emissions at source.
Officials say that ‘fusion is tipped to be a multi-trillion-pound global industry in the second half of the century’.
‘For the UK to develop its economy as a major fusion power, UKAEA will be at the centre of the partnership between industry and government,’ said Andrew Holland, chief executive of the Fusion Industry Association (FIA), in a statement. ‘The FIA has demonstrated how the UK could capture billions in economic activity from fusion, putting the country at the centre of the new industry – capturing huge economic opportunities, and further enabling this vital technology for all the world.’
No comments yet