Record government funding has been announced today, cementing Nottinghamshire as a world-leader for fusion energy. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will invest over £2.5 billion to drive green growth in the region over the next five years.
The funding announced today will be used to progress the STEP programme (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production). This world-leading fusion plant set on a former coal-fired power plant in West Burton will revitalise the former coal-mining community with new clean energy jobs. Fusion already supports thousands of jobs in Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire with thousands more to follow as the technology advances.
Fusion uses the same process that powers the sun and stars. Two forms of hydrogen are combined and heated at extreme temperatures, releasing vast amounts of clean energy.
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “Innovation is not a game of chance: it takes patient, long-term investment into ingenuity, skills, and assets. This £2.5 billion investment from government ensures that the East Midlands – a region which used to power the nation – can use its assets and experience to bring about the innovation we need to shape our future.
“The STEP programme connects the former coal-fired power station at West Burton to the cutting edge of fusion technology. And this is benefiting people now, with the programme already creating skilled work, raising aspirations, and actively engaging local supply chains.”
STEP Chief Executive Officer, Paul Methven, said: “I am delighted with the settlement announced today. 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.”
Independent research from London Economics shows that every £1 invested in fusion benefits the economy by nearly £4. The Supercluster – which is focused on the three former coal-fired power stations in West Burton, Cottam, and High Marnham – is a key opportunity in Mayor Claire Ward’s vision for growing the East Midlands which was launched at UKREiiF last month.
Mayor Claire added: “The East Midlands has retired 27% of the UK’s fossil fuel powered generation capacity, and a contribution of this scale requires serious investment in return. The government’s investment in the STEP programme is just that – serious, ambitious, and global in its aspect – and will support the region to attract even more.
“To quote the STEP strapline: ‘we’re not wishing on a star, we’re building one’. It is this investment from government that is allowing us to do this.”
Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “Fusion has the potential to provide us with an abundant, clean power source and deliver energy security, whilst attracting the best technologies to our shores and training up the next generation of British scientists and engineers.
“Today’s record funding will provide investment and economic growth in Nottinghamshire through our Plan for Change, delivering on net zero and creating the clean energy of the future.”
Further positioning the East Midlands as the hub for nuclear innovation, the Government has announced today that the UK’s next generation of nuclear power stations will be designed and built by Derby-based Rolls-Royce SMR. Following a two-year competitive bidding process, Rolls-Royce SMR has been selected in Great British Nuclear’s small modular reactor (SMR) competition. As well as delivering affordable, secure, and clean energy to support the UK’s energy security, the SMR programme will create thousands of highly skilled and well-paid jobs.
These clean energy announcements come off the back of other investment injections that the government has recently committed to the East Midlands. Last week, the Mayor secured the largest transport investment in a generation, as up to £2 billion was agreed through the Government’s new ‘Transport for City Regions Fund’. This funding will be used to deliver a modern, reliable, and integrated transport system across the region, with a particular focus on reducing congestion and improving connectivity between areas that have little or no transport provision at all.
Mayor Claire Ward continues to champion the case for investment in the region, and you can find out more about her priorities in the East Midlands Vision for Growth.