Britain will have a prototype nuclear fusion power station generating electricity for the grid in less than two decades, the government has pledged.
The new Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project will be built by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) on the site of one of the UK’s last coal-burning power stations, West Burton, which EDF Energy is due to shut down next April.
STEP’s power plant is expected to be smaller than other fusion energy programmes, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) or several projects in North America, which the scientists say could help reduce costs.
While many fusion reactors, or tokamaks, are built in the shape of a torus, or ring doughnut, a spherical tokomak is often described as being shaped…
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