Government seeks site for world’s first nuclear fusion plant
The government has today invited communities around the UK to bid for the world’s first nuclear fusion plant to be built in their local area.
The successful site will be home to the construction of the plant, which the government hopes to be completed by 2040.
Building the multi-billion pound project will create thousands of jobs in the chosen area, which the government said would be at the heart of its “green industrial revolution”.
The UK’s existing nuclear power stations use nuclear fission technology, which splits apart atoms to release energy.
Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, produces energy by the process of binding atoms together. It is the same process that powers the sun.
Communities will have until the end of March 2021 to become the home of STEP – the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production.
The government will provide an initial £222m to support the four-year design process for the plant.
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Business and energy secretary Alok Sharma said: “We want the UK to be a trailblazer in developing fusion energy by capitalising on its incredible potential as a limitless clean energy source that could last for generations to come.
“Communities across the country have an incredible opportunity to secure their place in the history books as the home of STEP, helping the UK to be the first country in the world to commercialise fusion and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs to drive our green industrial revolution.”
The project will be delivered by the UK Atomic Energy Authority which carries out fusion energy research on behalf of the government.
The announcement comes just two weeks after Boris Johnson laid out his 10 point climate change plan, which promised over £500m for nuclear power research.
Further announcements regarding the sector are expected when the long-awaited energy white paper is released, which is expected to be before the end of the year.