The UK government announced the launch of its Fusion Strategy, setting out its vision for the development of a domestic commercial fusion industry, and outlining its plans to invest £2.5 billion (USD$3.3 billion) over the next 5 years for initiatives including the development of a prototype fusion power plant anticipated to be completed by 2040.

Fusion, the process of combining two atoms to form a single atom to release energy, has been long referred to as the “Holy Grail” of clean and abundant energy production, given its potential to produce power from hydrogen – the most common element in the universe – without producing carbon emissions associated with fossil-fuel based power, and without the highly radioactive output of nuclear fission processes. Large scale fusion energy generation has been elusive, however, given the need to create extremely high temperatures and pressure.

According to the government, the new strategy supports the delivery of its Industrial Strategy, which includes the advancement of advanced energy and clean power as priority growth areas, by establishing the UK as “the first country in the world with a clear path to commercial fusion energy.”

The government said:

“The current conflict in the Middle East shows the only route to energy sovereignty for the UK is to end its dependence on fossil fuel markets and accelerate the transition to clean homegrown power, with fusion holding the potential to revolutionise the energy system and ensure lasting energy abundance and security.”

The strategy breaks down the government’s plans for £2.5 billion investment earmarked for fusion through 2030 in last year’s spending review, with the bulk (£1.3 billion) to be allocated towards advancing the STEP programme to design and build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant in a former coal plant in Nottinghamshire.

Construction on STEP, which is led by the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)-owned company UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (soon to be renamed UK Fusion Energy), is expected to begin in 2030, and due to be completed by 2040. The program’s mission is to generate net energy from fusion to prove the technology’s commercial viability and help stimulate the UK fusion industry.

As part of the £1.3 billion STEP allocation, the UK announced the appointment of ILIOS as the construction partner for the STEP program, with a contract valued at £200 million. ILIOS is a consortium led by a joint venture between Kier and Nuvia, and supported by AECOM, AL_A Architects and Turner & Townsend. Under the contract, ILIOS will be responsible for every aspect of construction, including acting as principal design and build contractor, delivering all construction work, design integration, civil engineering, buildings and site infrastructure, and overseeing supply chain and logistics.

Simon Matthews, programme director for ILIOS said:

“Through our involvement on the STEP programme, we will help advance the UK’s future energy resilience and decarbonisation ambitions, supporting economic and regional growth, high-quality jobs and the development of a long-term, UK-based, fusion supply chain.”

In addition to the development of STEP, other key investment areas highlighted by the new fusion strategy include £740 million allocated to R&D infrastructure and facilities in both magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, £180 million to build the “LIBRTI” facility to develop fusion fuel technology for power plants, and £45 million to fund the world’s most powerful fusion‑dedicated AI supercomputer.

UK Secretary of State,Ed Miliband, said:

“From Nottinghamshire to Cumbria, and from the Oxford-Cambridge corridor to South Yorkshire, Britain has long been at the forefront of fusion energy. With our Fusion Strategy, we’re going further – backing industry, supporting over 10,000 jobs, and paving the way for the ultimate long term energy security solution – clean, virtually limitless energy powered by British ingenuity and determination.”