Britain is another step closer to a future powered by clean, virtually limitless energy as the government launches its Fusion Strategy, backing British jobs, investment and energy sovereignty and delivering on its Industrial Strategy.
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, News Cover reports, citing the UK government's official website.
The government is seizing these benefits head on as part of delivering its Industrial Strategy - making Britain the first country in the world with a clear path to commercial fusion energy. This is set to support over 10,000 UK jobs by 2030, drive investment, and give industry the confidence to take fusion from the lab to the grid, ready for deployment.
This includes plans for the UK to be the first to offer a market framework to attract and support private investment in fusion energy. This would provide confidence to investors and ensure a fair deal for consumers.
The strategy builds on the government’s record £2.5 billion investment in fusion research and development secured at the Spending Review, and the government’s £20 million cornerstone investment into Starmaker One, a UK fusion investment fund – backing British innovation and attracting the best technologies to UK shores.
For the first time, the strategy breaks down how the investment will be spent, including a £200 million contract for a new Construction Partner to build a world-leading fusion energy plant in a former coal plant in Nottinghamshire. Known as STEP, the project is due to be completed by 2040 with plant construction expected to start from 2030 and jobs supported in the meantime including building R&D test facilities for key technologies. This represents the UK’s clean energy superpower mission in action, with the same communities that powered the UK with coal set to power the next generation with clean, homegrown energy.
