We have published a quarterly update of our Procurement Pipeline which is now available on our Procurement Page.

This document allows the supply chain to view upcoming opportunities within our programme areas: Fusion Foundations, MAST-U, NFTP, STEP, UKAEA General and RACE.

If you have any questions or would like to talk further about upcoming opportunities, get in touch at supplychain@ukaea.uk.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority and First Light Fusion have today signed an agreement for the design and construction of a new purpose-built facility to house First Light’s Machine 4 at UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire.

This further adds to Culham Campus’s status as a leading location for public-private partnerships in fusion energy development.

The partnership with UKAEA and the announcement of the proposed construction of the building for Machine 4 follows the recent confirmation of net energy gain by the National Ignition Facility (NIF), at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Like NIF, First Light is pursuing an “inertial confinement” approach to fusion. First Light’s method leverages the same physics proven by NIF but combines it with a unique approach which involves firing a projectile at a fuel pellet to force it to fuse and produce energy. This approach has been validated by UKAEA.

Although the machine itself will not generate power, it will be used to develop technology needed for future inertial confinement fusion energy powerplants.

First Light has appointed technical building design specialists, Ramboll, and architects, Scott Brownrigg. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 with operations likely to commence in 2027.

Science Minister George Freeman has announced the creation of a new delivery body for the UK’s fusion programme, named UK Industrial Fusion Solutions.

A future of abundant low-carbon energy without the need for fossil fuels could be in sight after Science Minister George Freeman today (Monday 6 February) announced the creation of a new delivery body for the UK’s fusion programme, named UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd.

Fusion energy has the potential to transform our world, by delivering near limitless, safe and low-carbon energy across the globe for generations to come.

It also represents a burgeoning industry in which the UK is already a world-leader, as demonstrated by the record-setting results from experiments conducted at the UK’s Joint European Torus (JET) facility last year, with the potential to not only power the world but deliver vast economic growth across the country.

On the visit to the future site of the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant at West Burton, Nottinghamshire, the Science Minister urged energy companies and investors to recognise the vast potential fusion energy could have for both the UK and the wider world.

The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) plant will be constructed by 2040 to demonstrate the ability to use fusion energy to generate electricity for the UK grid.

Tokamak Energy’s compact spherical tokamak, ST80-HTS, will demonstrate multiple technologies required for the delivery of clean, sustainable fusion energy. This includes a complete set of cutting-edge high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets to confine and control the hydrogen fuel, which becomes plasma many times hotter than the sun.

Constructing the new purpose-built facility at United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Culham Campus, part of the thriving UK Fusion Cluster, provides the company with access to leading science and engineering capabilities, including knowledge and experience in designing, constructing and operating the record-breaking Joint European Torus.

It further builds on the framework agreement signed by Tokamak Energy and UKAEA in October 2022 to enable closer collaboration to develop spherical tokamaks as a route to commercial fusion energy.

Designs for the new facility are underway in partnership with construction consultants McBains, with build completion planned for 2026.