The world’s first nuclear fusion plant is expected to be built near Nottingham
A site in Nottinghamshire, County of Nottingham, has been chosen to house the British Atomic Energy Authority's prototype fusion power plant, in an operation that is expected to create 600 jobs in the region and thousands more in construction and in the supply chain.
West Burton was one of 15 sites that submitted bids in early 2021 to host the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project. It was chosen from a shortlist of five sites after more than a year of detailed technical and socio-economic assessments.
The STEP project aims to consolidate the UK's status in fusion technology by creating a prototype plant, capable of delivering net power to the grid, by 2040. If successful, it is hoped that it will pave the way for commercial fusion plants. producing safe, sustainable and low-carbon energy for future generations.
Sir John Peace, president of Midlands Engine, said, The Midlands Engine partnership welcomes the decision of the government and the UKAEA to select West Burton as the site for its STEP fusion prototype. In an area that has long suffered from underinvestment, the site is set to play a crucial role in reviving local and regional economic activity, job creation and productivity ”.
“ The project is more than a power plant; it will require an ecosystem of innovation and development and will become a global benchmark for fusion energy. This is an unparalleled opportunity to support our growth program by generating high-quality jobs, building a world-class supply chain and further strengthening our regional skills base ”.
" We look forward to working with UKAEA to make the project a success, both to solve our energy challenges, and to drive green growth in the Midlands and beyond ."
Businesses, clusters and R&D centers in the area are expected to develop and benefit from increased activity. The decision follows the Midland's Engine's ten-point green growth plan, led by partners and supported by ERA, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 36% compared to 2020 levels and generate an additional added value of 24 , £ 2 billion for the region's economy by 2041.
Professor Martin Freer, director of the energy research accelerator, said: ' Fusion has the potential to transform the way we produce energy in the UK. It could provide an almost unlimited supply of safe and clean electricity and contribute to the toughest challenges of decarbonisation, using heat to produce clean hydrogen and synthetic fuels – other areas our region and the ERA have experience in . "
" We look forward to continuing our work with UKAEA, bringing the region's world-class innovation skills and capabilities to this exciting project ."
So the UK sets itself as a guide to fusion alternative nuclear energy with a clear schedule for building an experimental power plant within a given time frame. On the contrary, in the EU the huge ITER project is still far from being implemented and, above all, with uncertain results.
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The article The first nuclear fusion plant in the world should be built near Nottingham comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-primo-impianto-a-fusione-nucleare-al-mondo-dovrebbe-sorgere-vicino-a-nottingham/ on Tue, 04 Oct 2022 09:07:53 +0000.