Government-owned firm UK Fusion Energy (UKFE) has unveiled a strategy setting out how the country can move fusion energy from research to commercial deployment.
The strategy in particular sets out how the UK will deliver its first-of-a-kind prototype fusion power plant, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP). The plant is currently under development at a site in north Nottinghamshire and is targeted to be operational by 2040.
UKFE, a subsidiary of the government’s UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), is overseeing the design, build and delivery of the plant, bringing together industrial partners, research expertise, and advanced digital and AI capabilities.
Lord Vallance of Balham, minister for science, innovation, research and nuclear, said: “The government completely backs the UK Fusion Energy vision set out in this document, to build on our national strengths to take fusion from the lab to the grid, delivering major benefits to the UK now and for generations to come”
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