Nuclear fusion facility planned in Rotherham

The United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has scheduled the construction of a nuclear fusion energy research facility in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in a bid to establish Britain’s place in the commercialisation of low-cost, low-carbon fusion energy.

The facility will be constructed at a cost of £22M at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, neighbouring companies such as Rolls-Royce, McLaren Automotive, the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC).

The centre has been funded under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Nuclear Sector Deal, with assistance from a £2M investment from Sheffield City Region’s Local Growth Fund.

Furthermore, it is hoped that the research facility will encourage collaboration with the AMRC and NAMRC while also providing 40 highly skilled jobs to the region.

The Director of the National Fusion Technology Platform at UKAEA, Colin Walters stated: “Momentum is growing in fusion research and we believe the opening of this facility in South Yorkshire represents a practical step towards developing power plants.

“This facility will provide fantastic opportunities for UK businesses to win contracts and put UKAEA in a great position to help deliver the necessary expertise for the first nuclear fusion power stations.”

The Sheffield City Region Mayor, Dan Jarvis MBE MP added: “The Sheffield City Region is a growing hub of innovation, expertise, and knowledge.

“As well as creating new skilled jobs and opportunities for collaboration with the nearby research centres, this facility will create opportunities for other businesses as specialist suppliers, boosting the region’s economy and highlighting our world-leading specialisms in advanced manufacturing.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear AMRC, Andrew Storer concluded: “We are delighted to welcome UKAEA to the Advanced Manufacturing Park, and to the Sheffield region’s world-leading cluster of applied innovation. We look forward to working with UKAEA at their new facility to develop manufacturing techniques for fusion power plants and help UK manufacturers win work in this growing global market.

“This development has the potential to create many jobs in the local supply chain as fusion technology matures. This is a huge deal for Sheffield and the North, and we are really pleased to have played a part in this and to be working with UKAEA.”

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