Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what contribution the UK is making to the development of fusion technology; and if he will make a statement.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority manages the UK’s fusion research programme at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and operates JET, the European fusion research facility, under a 285 million euro contract from the European Commission. The Authority is now building on the expertise in engineering and technology from fusion research to make Culham a centre of excellence for fusion technology, in collaboration with UK academia and industry, and in support of the international ITER next-step fusion project currently under construction in France.

New fusion technology facilities at Culham are planned in the areas of nuclear materials and remote handling and robotics to support fusion and other related technologies and are working towards the EU design of a DEMO (prototype) fusion power station.