UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Howard Wilson as Director of Science and Technology, helping to lead STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production). This is a pioneering programme to deliver the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant.
Howard is an international expert in fusion science and brings extensive experience and expertise to the role. He will be the first UKIFS Executive Committee member based at West Burton in Nottinghamshire, a former coal-fired power station and site of the future prototype plant.
Over the past 18 months, Howard has been the Fusion Pilot Plant Research and Development Lead at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States. Before this, he was at the University of York where he founded the York Plasma Institute and the Fusion Centre for Doctoral Training.
As Director of Science and Technology, Howard will oversee development of the plasma solution for STEP. He will lead on the requirements for physical and digital technology demonstration. This is to ensure modelling, simulation and testing tackles the specific challenges refined through the evolving whole plant design. He will work together with Chris Waldon (Chief Engineer) and Debbie Kempton (Director of Engineering Programme). This triumvirate will plan and ensure viable technologies develop and deliver in a robust way in an integrated plant design.
Paul Methven, CEO of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions and Senior Responsible Owner for STEP, said:
As we embark on the second phase of the programme, Howard will be key in leading the development critical technologies for STEP, supporting the development of the fully integrated plant design. His impressive track record of fusion research and delivery will help to deliver the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant alongside the development of a fusion industry.
The appointment marks a return to the STEP programme for Howard. He became the first Programme Director for STEP from 2019 to 2020. This followed a secondment to the UK Atomic Energy Authority as Research Director in 2017.
Howard has served on numerous international programme reviews and committees. This includes the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). He chaired the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) in Pedestal and Edge Physics in support of ITER from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of EUROfusion’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) (2022-2023) and currently serves on the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee.
STEP is the UK’s flagship fusion programme. It will demonstrate a technical and industrial pathway towards commercial realisation. It will also support clean, safe, and sustainable energy over the long term.
UK Atomic Energy Authority Group wholly owns UKIFS as a subsidiary. UKIFS will be responsible for the delivery of STEP from later this year. The programme aims to create future opportunities for suppliers and benefit the communities that surround West Burton. Supplier opportunities range from whole plant integrators to critical system manufacturers that can design and deliver future plants worldwide.
Fusion can be thought of as the opposite of fission. It combines lighter atoms rather than splitting heavier ones. Fusion is based on the same processes that power the Sun and stars. It has potential to provide safe, sustainable and low-carbon energy for generations to come.
For further information about STEP, visit: https://stepfusion.com/