EDF’s West Burton A coal-fired power station has been selected as the site for the UK’s first nuclear fusion reactor.
The government announced that the site in Nottinghamshire would be home to the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), which aims to build a fusion energy plant by 2040.
West Burton was not one of the initial five locations shortlisted for the scheme last autumn. However, after the government ruled out Ratcliffe-on-Soar it was brought in from the reserve list.
In June, EDF agreed to keeping two of the existing coal-fired generators at the site in service for an extra six months. It is now due to be decommissioned in 2023.
Fusion, the process of creating energy by forcing atoms together, has long been viewed as having huge potential to create safe, low-carbon power. However, despite extensive international co-operation, progress on developing the technology has been slow.
The government has pledged £220 million for the first phase of STEP, which will see the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) produce a concept design by 2024.
Announcing the site choice at the Conservative Part Conference, business and energy secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “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,” he said.
“The plant will be the first of its kind, built by 2040 and capable of putting energy on the grid, and in doing so will prove the commercial viability of fusion energy to the world.”
Matt Sykes, managing director of EDF’s Generation business, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the UKAEA has selected the West Burton site in Nottinghamshire to host the UK’s first fusion reactor.
“The area has been associated with energy generation for over 60 years. Developing such an exciting new project continues this tradition and has the potential to transform both the region and the UK’s long-term energy supply.”