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Strong grid connectivity and proximity to water will be a must for the successful application to host Step (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), which will need at least 100 hectares (1km2).
The government is pressing ahead with the ambitious UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) plan following the recent achievement of ‘first plasma’ at the Mast Upgrade fusion energy experiment in Culham, Oxfordshire. Step will be based on that project’s ‘spherical tokamak’ design, which uses powerful magnetic fields to confine and control hot plasma. The spherical shape improves efficiency in the magnetic field, and could help reduce the plant’s cost.
The programme has initial £222m funding from the government to produce a concept design by 2024. It is hoped that Step will be built and in operation by about 2040, after which technology used in the project could be replicated in a fleet of commercial plants.
Communities have until the end of March 2021 to submit their nominations. They will need to demonstrate that their local area has the right mix of social, commercial and technical conditions to host the new plant.
The government hopes the successful candidate will become a ‘global hub for fusion energy and associated industries’. It could create thousands of highly-skilled jobs during construction and operation.
UKAEA CEO Professor Ian Chapman said: “STEP is about moving from research and development to delivery. It will prove that fusion is not a far-off dream but a dawning reality, with the UK leading the commercial development of fusion power and positioning itself as a pioneer in sustainable fusion energy.
“To achieve this ambitious goal will require all the ingenuity and application of the UK’s science and engineering industry and we look forward to working with industrial partners in the years ahead – not just to invest, but also to support the technical evolution of the programme.
“We are confident that working together with partners in the UK and around the world will enable the UK to bring a revolutionary technology to market.”
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