A prototype nuclear fusion power plant - possibly the world's first prototype commercial nuclear reactor - will be built in the United Kingdom by 2040, business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.
Rees-Mogg told the Conservative Party conference that the fusion energy plant - part of the £220m STEP programme led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) - would replace the West Burton coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, which was set to be closed this year.
“Over the decades we have established ourselves as pioneers in fusion science and as a country our capabilities to surmount these obstacles is unparalleled and I am delighted to make an announcement of a vital step in that mission," Rees-Mogg said. “We will build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire, replacing the West Burton coal-fired power station with a beacon of bountiful green energy.
“The plant will be the first of its kind, built by 2040 and capable...