In a landmark move toward clean energy, the UK government has announced a record £2.5 billion in funding to develop the world’s first prototype fusion power plant.
The investment underscores the country’s ambition to become a global leader in sustainable energy and innovation.
The new facility—STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production)—will be built at the site of the former West Burton A coal power station near Retford and Gainsborough in Nottinghamshire. Originally selected in 2022, the site is set to become a major hub for next-generation energy, with the project expected to create over 10,000 jobs across construction, engineering, and operations.
Fusion energy, often described as the "holy grail" of clean power, works by fusing hydrogen isotopes—deuterium and tritium—at temperatures exceeding 150 million degrees Celsius. The energy released can be harnessed to produce steam and drive turbines, just like traditional power stations, but without carbon emissions or long-lived radioactive waste.
Paul Methven CB, CEO of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions—the organisation leading the STEP project—welcomed the government’s backing:
“The UK is the world leader in fusion energy research today, and STEP is the beacon programme that aims to take fusion from research to commercial success, generating high quality jobs, multiple spin offs and boosting the economy nationally and in the East Midlands where we will build the first plant.
Securing a global lead in such a vital new technology requires bold action; the government has rightly been bold today and we look forward to delivering the practical steps that will realise the vision of the UK leading in this exciting new sector”.
This new investment comes as the region transitions from its coal-fired past. The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in 2024 marked the end of coal power in Nottinghamshire. With STEP now on the horizon, the area long known as “Megawatt Valley” is poised to power the future with clean, limitless energy.
During a recent visit to the UK’s Fusion Research Campus in Culham, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“After scientists first theorised over 70 years ago that it could be possible, we are now within grasping distance of unlocking the power of the sun and providing families with secure, clean, unlimited energy”.
This record-breaking funding affirms fusion energy’s critical role in the UK’s future energy strategy and reinforces the government’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and regional investment. Photo by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Wikimedia commons.