UK scientists are using plasma 10 times hotter than the Sun to generate clean power and put Britain at the forefront of a potential £12 trillion global industry. The project, based at a disused power station near Nottingham, aims to create a star in a jar and deliver commercial nuclear fusion.
Creating a Star in a Tin Can
At STEP Fusion, formerly a vast power station site, scientists are attempting to create a sun at 150 million degrees Celsius and contain it in what they describe as a tin can. "It's a very technically advanced tin can," Prof Howard Wilson jokes, referring to the cutting-edge project to become a world leader in clean, safe, and unlimited nuclear power.
Unlike nuclear fission, which produces radioactive waste dangerous for 100,000 years, fusion produces only heat and helium. It is green, safe, and almost limitless, sourced essentially from sea water and the earth's crust.
The Global Race to Commercial Fusion
The fusion sector is estimated to be worth up to £12 trillion, sparking a global race to be first—a race Britain is currently winning. Prof Wilson, Director of Science and Technology at STEP Fusion, which stands for Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, notes the project's outreach describes it to 10-year-olds as creating "a star in a jar."
At the heart of the reactor is a Tokamak, a donut-shaped "star chamber" initially named by Andrei Sakharov. STEP scientists have improved the design with a chamber resembling a "cored apple." Inside, plasma will reach temperatures 10 times those of the Sun, while cooling systems approach absolute zero, creating a closed system of extreme conditions.
World-Leading Technology and Benefits
Prof Wilson highlights the UK's world-leading capability: "This is an area where we are really world-leading - our technological capability is amazing. Our competitors are China and the US, though we collaborate with the US. But of course we protect the national interest, it is our responsibility to deliver for the UK."
The benefits include energy security, as Prof Wilson explains: "There are no greenhouse gases, it does not rely on resources from places in the world you would prefer not to rely on. And yes, that's Russia today but who knows tomorrow? Energy security is of fundamental importance to any country."
Targets and Innovations
STEP Fusion's key goal is to have a working fusion reactor supplying at least 100mw to the national grid by 2040—modest but two thirds the output of 116 offshore wind turbines. Katy Jarvis-Morgan, Engagement Manager, said: "We've registered 53 innovations so far. We're discovering something new almost every day, and these things are worth money, we can sell them."
The facility is already providing new jobs and could employ more than 2000. STEP Fusion plans to use barges on the River Trent for haulage. Prof Wilson admits "there is no guarantee we can do it," but if successful, Britain could lead a lucrative, game-changing technology and create a world-class science hub in the East Midlands.
