The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has announced that it has awarded contracts to seven organisations to develop solutions to fusion energy development challenges.
The projects are all still at a ‘proof of concept’ stage and focus on digital engineering and fusion fuel requirements. The awarded groups were responding to challenges launched through the Small Business Research Initiative Competition as ‘Innovation Competitions’.
The contracts are funded by UKAEA’s Fusion Industry Programme which was launched in 2021, and is part of the government’s £484 million support package for the science sector. The AKAEA says the programme is “stimulating growth of the UK fusion industry by developing technology and skills for the future global fusion powerplant market.”
This announcement follows the award by UKAEA of 18 Fusion Industry Programme contracts earlier this year for the development new fusion materials, manufacturing techniques and innovative heating systems.
Seven organisations have secured contracts, worth £6.8m in total, with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (@UKAEAofficial) to develop their innovative solutions and technologies to the ‘proof of concept’ stage.
— UK Atomic Energy Authority (@UKAEAofficial) June 8, 2023
The contracts were awarded to organisations focusing on digital… pic.twitter.com/4Fv7Wm9wqi
The seven winning organisations include a range of start-ups, small-medium enterprises, established companies, and academia, including Full Matrix Ltd and the University of Manchester.
Meanwhile, winning organisations that focus on reducing fusion powerplant fuel requirements by using hydrogen isotopes include Gencoa Ltd, AqSorption Ltd, IS-Instruments Ltd, the University of Bristol, and the University of Liverpool.
The UKAEA also announced today that their joint-venture with the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Brookfield Asset Management awarded £300 million in financing to Harwell Campus in Didcot, Oxfordshire, to help build and expand their laboratory and office space.
📢 We are delighted to announce that a joint-venture between UK Atomic Energy Authority (@UKAEAofficial), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (@STFC_Matters ) and @Brookfield Asset Management has awarded £300m in financing to @HarwellCampus to help build and expand… https://t.co/QMtKSzi5dP
— UK Atomic Energy Authority (@UKAEAofficial) June 14, 2023
Minister for fusion energy, Andrew Bowie, said: “The UK’s leading the world in getting fusion energy off the ground, investing over £700 million into research to help power this unique low-carbon energy on home shores in the years ahead.”
“Today’s funding, through the Fusion Industry Programme, will drive new transformative technologies pioneered by UK companies to get fusion up and running – taking fusion from scientific vision to commercial reality.”
Tim Bestwick, UKAEA’s chief development officer, said “Fusion has enormous promise as a source of sustainable, low-carbon energy for future generations.
“The second phase of the Fusion Industry Programme gives organisations the opportunity to take their proposals to the next stage in development with resultant awards of up to £1 million. The awards announced today aim to engage the private sector on the technical challenges facing fusion energy’s development.”
The UKAEA say that fusion energy, when developed, could help provide another important component of a decarbonised energy grid, as it can provide ‘baseload’ power that complements renewable energy sources.
The latest Fusion Industry Programme challenge, aiming to encourage innovation in the development of lithium technologies is still open and offering up to £1.5 million for prototype development and evaluation is available to organisations, to ‘realise the potential of lithium in an economic, sustainable and scalable fusion energy fuel-cycle’. The closing date is 19 July 2023.
