Tokamak Energy, a private company working to develop compact fusion power based in Milton Park, Didcot, has recently been awarded £10 million from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as part of the UK Government's Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) project.
The funds will contribute to core development work on key fusion technologies, such as high temperature superconducting magnets and plasma exhaust (or 'divertor') technologies, both of which are key challenges that need to be overcome for fusion to become a commercially viable future electricity source.
Tokamak Energy was the only fusion company to be awarded AMR funding; the other two companies who were chosen are developing advanced fission technologies. This support from UK Government re-affirms their strong and practical support for fusion energy, coming as it does on the back of investment into UKAEA - notably for the conceptual design of the Spherical Tokamak for Electricity Production (STEP) programme and to redevelop the Culham campus.
UKAEA's Chief Technology Officer Tim Bestwick welcomed the announcement: "This is really good news - not just for Tokamak Energy, but also for the wider fusion community," he said. "This £10 million Advanced Modular Reactor award recognizes the potential importance of fusion in future low-carbon energy generation, and illustrates the depth of talent in this field in the UK."
