UK's first fusion power station promises huge boost for North Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire
Plans for the fusion reactor at West Burton could bring jobs, investment, and global recognition to the region.
There’s growing focus on what the UK’s first fusion energy project could mean for the local area -and for the country’s clean energy ambitions.
The pioneering prototype, planned for West Burton - the former coal powered station near Gainsborough - is expected to begin construction in 2030 and take around a decade to complete.
Once operational, it will serve as a model for future fusion technology - the same process that powers the sun.
By fusing atomic nuclei together, fusion releases huge amounts of energy without producing carbon emissions or long-lived radioactive waste.
Ben Bradley from STEP Fusion says the development represents a once-in-a-generation moment.
“The opportunity for the region is that this becomes the home of fusion technology," he said.
"That long-term economic and social opportunity of being the people who build that incredible technology, wherever it is in the world,” he said.
He added that fusion offers “totally clean, carbon-free energy” and that “one gram of tritium fuel for our power plant will get your electric car to the moon.”
As planning progresses, work is already under way to connect with local businesses and engineering firms that could help develop the specialist components needed for the project.
A sign that the area could soon play a leading role in shaping the world’s clean energy future.