Fusion centre granted £48m

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has awarded the fusion centre UKAEA Culham a grant of £48m, the council’s largest ever grant.

The grant will fund the UK fusion research programme for four years from 1 April this year.

The European fusion project’s Jet facility operates at Culham. The grant will allow the UK to maintain a vital role in fusion power when a decision is made on where to site the international fusion project Iter (see Electrical Review, 4 March 2003).

The director of UKAEA Culham, Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, said: “This major grant is a measure of the UK government’s commitment to fusion research. It is essential that we have a wide range of energy options to meet the needs of our 21st century world with less reliance on fossil fuels.

“Fusion has a key role to play alongside renewable sources of energy. The UK government and EPSRC have recognised this and this grant is a great vote of confidence in the UK’s own contribution to establishing fusion power.”