UK Government Announces the World’s First Fusion Reactor To Operate by 2040

The UK government plans to operate the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor. The plant will be built in West Burton, Nottinghamshire, by 2040.

UK Nuclear Plant

According to BBC, Mogg said that by 2040, the plant would be constructed, and it would be able to supply electricity to the grid. By doing so, it will demonstrate to the world the commercial potential of fusion energy. He also stated that the nuclear plant would be the first of its kind.

When completed, the nuclear plant could theoretically provide nearly endless renewable energy.UK Business Secretary Jacob Rees Mogg revealed the site at the UK Conservative Party Conference.

Project Cost and Scope

According to Euronews, the government has committed more than £220 million to the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) program, which will build the fusion energy facility. It will take the place of a coal-fired power plant that will shut down this year. Researchers claim that significant obstacles must still be addressed before the technology may be used.

The project is expected to cost around £10 billion ($11.42 billion) once it is finished. However, as is common knowledge, large-scale public projects almost never come in under budget. According to the government, the development of the initiative could also attract more high-tech companies to the UK and create thousands of high-skilled jobs for construction and operation.

The government began seeking a construction partner for the project in August, with a tender planned for December. The project's engineering partner, Atkins, has also been named.

Although the STEP design is ambitious, other reactor designs frequently run into issues.

For instance, 35 countries are working together to build a sizable facility in the south of France called the ITER project. This project is not intended to provide electricity for individual households but to explore whether nuclear fusion can produce more energy than it consumes.

How Does the Plant Function?

Theoretically, nuclear fusion could generate no carbon emissions and around four million times as much energy as coal, oil, or gas.

But for a commercial plant to be operational, it will need to overcome a number of logistical obstacles, not the least of which is heating a sizable amount of gas to a temperature of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit.

Other Nuclear Projects

According to Interesting Engineering, the ITER project was supposed to launch in 2050; however, it is already over budget and behind schedule.

According to Professor Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, ITER is running behind schedule because it is extremely difficult. He continued by saying that what they are doing profoundly pushes the boundaries of what is currently known in the field of technology.

However, some researchers are making progress. In February of this year, the JET (Joint European Torus) facility in the UK surpassed its previous record for the amount of energy generated by fusing two different forms of hydrogen.

The experiments produced enough energy to boil 60 kettles of water using 11 megawatts of electricity for five seconds.

Check out more news and information on Nuclear Fusion in Science Times.