Two North West sites have made it through to the last 15 of potential locations for what could be the world’s first prototype fusion energy plant.
Bay Fusion, an association of companies, Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, local colleges and a group of universities led by Lancaster, are supporting the nomination of Heysham as a potential location for the Government's new Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP).
A second site at Moorside, backed by the Cumbria LEP, in partnership with Copeland Borough Council, has also been shortlisted.
About £220m of Government cash is going into finding an appropriate site for the STEP project to meet the UK’s carbon-zero targets, with the prototype fusion plant potentially operational by 2040.
The STEP programme is the first stage in the UK’s bid to be the first country to commercialise fusion energy, to meet future needs.
Fusion is said to offer a virtually limitless source of clean electricity by copying the processes that power the sun.
The UK Government wants to be the first to develop a commercial power station that will use the energy produced by fusion reactions to generate electricity, and the project is being led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
Malcolm Joyce, professor of nuclear engineering at Lancaster University, said: "STEP is an extraordinarily exciting opportunity for Heysham because it combines the potential to benefit the local and regional economies very significantly, with the opportunity for these communities to influence the development of a technology that has the potential to help avert climate change, worldwide."
Dr Samuel Murphy, director of studies for nuclear engineering at Lancaster University, added: "As a nationally important infrastructure project, STEP is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for investment in Heysham, Lancaster and the North West and would signal the Government’s confidence in the region’s ability to build the world’s first fusion reactor and lead the fight against climate change."
UKAEA will now work with councils and landowners to decide the next round of shortlisted sites before the end of 2021.
After final shortlisting has been completed, UKAEA plan to start engaging with communities around the preferred sites before selecting the final site that will host STEP, which is expected by the end of 2022.
STEP programme director, Paul Methven said: "STEP is about building on the amazing science done over decades in fusion and translating that into a real prototype power plant that paves the way for this fantastic new energy source.
"Selecting a site is critical for that transition to delivery and we are pleased to have received a number of high quality nominations. We are looking forward to getting to know the nominating communities as we progress through the assessment process over the next year.
"Wherever STEP is eventually built, it will bring significant benefits to the region, including employment, skills development and the development of a high-technology, low-carbon supply chain."
