The consortium which prepared a bid to bring a pioneering fusion power plant to North Ayrshire offers their congratulations to their counterparts in West Burton, Nottinghamshire following the UK Government’s final siting decision.
Members of the Fusion Forward (Ardeer) consortium, which was formed by the University of Glasgow, North Ayrshire Council and NPL Group, welcome the UK Government’s decision to bring the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, or STEP, to West Burton.
The Fusion Forward (Ardeer) bid was one of five finalists in consideration to host STEP, and the only Scottish site remaining from a cohort of 15 longlisted applications from across the UK.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) announced on 14th October 2021 that Ardeer in North Ayrshire is one of five shortlisted sites under consideration as the location for the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme.
STEP, supported by an initial £222m in funding from the UK government, aims to design and construct a prototype fusion energy plant capable of providing an environmentally-friendly source of electricity. The programme is targeting a concept design by 2024, with operations planned to begin around 2040.
Lessons learned during the construction and initial operation of STEP will enable the future development of a fleet of commercial fusion plants.
Click on the links below for further information.
STEP – Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (ukaea.uk)
Looking to the Future with Fusion Energy – COP 26 Panel discussion (YouTube 1:03:35)
Regulatory Horizons Council: Report on Fusion Energy Regulation 1st June 2021 (gov.uk)