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Creating net energy gain (when energy output exceeds the input) has only recently been achieved from nuclear fusion and the world is now racing to develop and build a feasible power plant.

Fusion has long been touted as a way to make “limitless” energy as it relies on the fusion of the two isotopes, most commonly to form hydrogen with deuterium and tritium. This is the same process that creates much of the Sun’s heat and energy.

The UK has positioned itself as a leader in fusion technology, with the current construction of the Hydrogen-3 Advanced Technology (H3AT) facility at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire (main image above), and the proposed Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (Step), which the UKAEA identified a site for at West Burton in Nottinghamshire in 2022.

The purpose of Step is to pave the way for the commercial viability of fusion by demonstrating net energy, fuel self-sufficiency and a viable route to plant maintenance.

The UKAEA’s most recent strategy follows on from the government’s own fusion plan, released last month, which outlined a March 2029 deadline to formally submit the development consent order (DCO) application for Step.

The government released the strategy as it believes current conflicts in the Middle East have left the only route to energy security in the UK to be an end to dependence on fossil fuel markets. In response to these geopolitical tensions, the government is vying to accelerate a transition to clean homegrown power where it said fusion could hold “the potential to revolutionise the energy system and ensure lasting energy abundance and security”.

With the outlining of its plans up to 2030, the UKAEA has now given greater detail into its estimated timelines for progressing the nuclear fusion industry. By the end of this year, UKAEA is looking to establish the data and AI infrastructure needed to validate Step’s design.

Along with the release of the government’s strategy, UK Fusion Energy (formerly UK Fusion Industrial Solutions) – the body in charge of delivering Step – announced the official construction partner for the plant as Ilios, a consortium led by a Kier-Nuvia joint venture with Aecom, architects AL A and Turner & Townsend.

The Government launched a competition to select engineering and construction partners for the prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire in May 2024, with the contracts understood to be valued close to £10bn. Then in January 2025, the shortlist for both partners was revealed.

As NCE revealed late last year, the procurement for the engineering partner to construct Step will resume “in a year or two” after the first attempt failed.

In 2024, NCE revealed the first detailed report on work towards the design for Step. UKAEA is now hoping to aid UK Fusion Energy’s detailed design of the plant and DCO submission by creating digital twins and multi-scale models to formally define the design, safety and performance margins.

Elsewhere in the UKAEA’s new strategy, the organisation is hoping to assemble H3AT’s key systems and receive the delivery of uranium beds by the end of next year, and by the end of 2028 to complete its Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation programme (LIBTRI) building at Culham and also begin inactive commissioning of the H3AT Tritium Loop. 

By 2030, the UKAEA is hoping LIBRTI will be in full operation supporting Step and private fusion firms while H3AT’s inactive tritium loop integrated will begin testing and active commissioning of the whole H3AT plant will also have begun.

In 2024, NCE visited the under-construction H3AT facility to learn about its planned pioneering research into tritium breeding.

Informed by the 2025 Spending Review, when the government promised over £2.5bn to be spent on fusion energy R&D up to 2030, UKAEA’s new strategy also confirms the organisation aims to meet the following objectives by the end of the decade:

• Increase investment in the operational infrastructure of MAST-U as the UK’s premier fusion facility
• Maintain its fusion enabling infrastructure in line with operational criticality and affordability
• Continue to decommission Joint European Tourus (Jet) in a way that maximises scope for infrastructure repurposing
• Consider what fusion research facilities may be developed in future years
• Work with UK and global partners and collaborators to exploit the Sunrise AI supercomputer and other computing facilities, to deliver on the Government’s Culham AI Growth Zone initiative

Supply chain

A big part of working towards the commercialisation of fusion energy generation is the creation of a supply chain, as one does not currently exist.

As part of its strategy, UKAEA has launched its Global Fusion Guide for SMEs, which aims to help businesses, looking to be involved with the fusion supply chain, with steps to help them collaborate with, and supply, fusion developers.

The guide outlines how fusion energy is opening new markets for UK businesses with capabilities in engineering, manufacturing, robotics, advanced materials, digital systems and specialist services, including those that have no prior experience in fusion.

It further explores the key technologies required to deliver fusion power, with clear explanations of where demand is expected to grow and where SME capabilities are particularly well matched. This includes areas such as superconducting magnets and cryogenics, lasers and power supplies, robotics and remote handling, advanced materials, tritium systems, heating technologies and the growing role of advanced computing and AI.

UKAEA programme manager for fusion futures Fanny Fouin said: “The Global Fusion Guide for SMEs shows that fusion is not a closed market. Many of the skills required already exist across UK industry and the guide will help businesses see how their capabilities can translate across into this growing sector.

“Over the next decade, a significant share of the global investment in fusion will be spent on industrial systems, components and services. These represent long term, high value opportunities that UK SMEs are well placed to deliver.”

UKAEA has also announced the launch of a national centre to help develop advanced measurement technology needed to make fusion energy commercial.

Fusion energy works by heating a gas called plasma to extreme temperatures. To control this process safely, scientists need to measure the plasma’s temperature, density, shape and stability in real-time.

In order to develop these systems, the UKAEA has now officially opened the Diagnostics Innovation Centre of Excellence (Dice), based at the Culham Campus. Dice has already secured contracts with 10 organisations, with a combined value of more than £10M.

UKAEA head of Dice David Croft said: “Dice’s capabilities are growing steadily, with cutting-edge equipment now installed in our laboratories. 

“But the greatest strength is our people. With decades of experience spanning diagnostics design, build, installation, analysis and operation, the Dice team provides expertise which is second to none.”

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