The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is pleased to announce that a new £22M fusion energy research facility will open in Rotherham next year. ‘UKAEA Yorkshire’ will see us working with industrial partners to put the UK in a strong position to commercialise nuclear fusion as a major source of low-carbon electricity in the years ahead.
It will be sited at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in South Yorkshire, whose existing occupiers include Rolls-Royce, McLaren Automotive, as well as the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC). This site will foster increased research collaborations between UKAEA, academic partners, and industry, as well as bringing 40 highly-skilled jobs to the region.
The key role of the facility will be to develop and test joining technologies for fusion materials and components – for example novel metals and ceramics. These will then be tested and evaluated under conditions simulating the inside of a fusion reactor (including high heat flux, in-vacuum, and strong magnetic fields).
The site will also help UK companies win contracts as part of ITER – the key international fusion project being built in the south of France. Looking further ahead, it will enable technology development for the first nuclear fusion power plants, which are already being designed.
Funding for ‘UKAEA Yorkshire’ has been provided as part of the Government’s Nuclear Sector Deal delivered through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. An additional £2M of investment is coming from Sheffield City Region’s Local Growth Fund.
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