Response to Daily Telegraph

The UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy to maximise scientific and UK economic benefit and, as part of this, UKAEA recognises the importance of transparency and rigorous scrutiny. Fusion energy has the potential to provide reliable, low-carbon and baseload power while supporting thousands of skilled jobs and we believe represents a big opportunity for the UK.

UKAEA has extensive real-world experience in fusion energy development and has safely operated the world-renowned Joint European Torus (JET) facility more than 100,000 times at its Culham Campus for more than 40 years. When it was operating, JET, like most approaches to fusion, used tritium, a radioactive hydrogen isotope.  

UK Fusion Energy Ltd., part of UKAEA Group, is now building on the experience of JET by developing a pioneering power plant called STEP. The aim of the programme is to build a pilot fusion power plant at West Burton by the early 2040s. Currently the programme is in the design phase, with construction expected to start in the 2030s. 

UKFE Ltd and its partners are designing STEP with multiple layers of safety systems and robust measures and have been working with the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive right from the start of the programme to ensure safety is built into the design and the delivery. The risk assessments referenced in the article are part of a standard, precautionary approach used across major infrastructure projects to ensure that all hypothetical scenarios, however remote, are fully understood and mitigated. For more information see UKAEA’s Technology Report “Safety and Waste Aspects for Fusion Power Plants” (September 2021 – PDF, 1.4MB)   

The process of fusion energy is fundamentally different from conventional nuclear fission. It does not involve a chain reaction and cannot “runaway” or “melt down”. Fusion does not produce high-level radioactive waste and does not carry a risk of large-scale nuclear accidents as seen in historical fission events. The fusion process stops almost instantly if the necessary conditions are not maintained.

UKAEA remains committed to engaging openly with our communities and stakeholders on the challenges, opportunities and progress of fusion.