British inertial fusion energy developer First Light Fusion and systems, engineering and technology company Frazer-Nash Consultancy have just announced plans for to collaborate on research to advance fusion energy.

The two companies have signed a non-exclusive letter of understanding for multi-year collaboration to develop cutting-edge engineering technologies that will accelerate innovation and lay out a scalable, commercial pathway to fusion energy globally.

Frazer-Nash will contribute its expertise in complex engineering and systems development to support First Light Fusion’s new business strategy which was launched in February this year. The strategy focuses on partnering with innovative businesses that can leverage their cutting-edge proprietary technologies, research facilities and technological expertise. The new collaboration will focus on delivering critical engineering solutions, developing new technical capabilities, and nurturing industry partnerships to strengthen the fusion reactor supply chain and innovation network.

In February, Oxfordshire-based First Light Fusion announced that it will focus on commercial partnerships with other fusion companies who want to use its amplifier technology, as well as with non-fusion applications such as NASA seeking to replicate potential high-velocity impacts in space. By dropping its plans for a fusion power plant, and instead targeting commercial partnerships with others, it intends to “capitalize on the huge inertial fusion energy market opportunities enabling earlier revenues and lowering the long-term funding requirement”.

Mark Thomas is the CEO of First Light Fusion. He said, “At First Light Fusion, technical innovation and cooperation is integral to realizing our mission to make fusion energy possible. This collaboration with Frazer-Nash reflects our commitment to working with the best engineering minds in the industry in pursuit of this goal. The collaboration will strengthen our development pipeline and provide valuable technical insight as we advance our fusion energy program.”

Thomas continued, “Frazer-Nash Consultancy has a long-standing reputation for delivering high-value engineering solutions across energy, defense, and advanced technology sectors. The firm’s experience in complex systems engineering, computational modelling, and materials science makes it an excellent collaborator for our business, and I am excited to get started.”

Nial Greeves is the Director of Energy and Infrastructure, at Frazer-Nash Consultancy. He said, “First Light Fusion has an unparalleled reputation in its sector for spearheading world-leading technological advancements in the field of fusion. This, combined with Frazer-Nash’s own track record of solving some of the most complex engineering challenges, presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to one of the most promising fields in clean energy.”

Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus while releasing a large amount of energy. First Light, which was founded by Nick Hawker and Yiannis Ventikos in 2011 as an Oxfordshire University research spin-off. It has been pursuing a form of inertial confinement fusion called projectile fusion, which creates the extreme temperatures and pressures required to achieve fusion by compressing a target containing fusion fuel using a projectile travelling at a tremendous speed. The projectile hits an amplifier, which focuses the energy onto the fusion fuel.

First Light Fusion

Andrei Kelin is Russia’s ambassador to the U.K. He has not denied accusations that Russian sensors have been hidden in seas around Great Britain in an attempt to track U.K. nuclear submarines.

Kelin said that while he did not deny Russia was attempting to track British submarines, he rejected the allegation that such activities presented a threat to the U.K.

When asked on in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg of the BBC whether he objected to the claims, Kelin said, “No”.

Kelin continued, “I am not going to deny it, but I wonder whether we really have an interest in following all the British submarine with very old outdated nuclear warheads… all these threats are extremely exaggerated. I’m denying existence of threats for the United Kingdom. This threat has been invented, absolutely, there is no threat at all from Russia to the U.K.”

Kelin’s admission follows an investigation published by the Sunday Times earlier this month. It detailed the discovery of alleged Russian sensors in seas around Britain. In its investigation, the Sunday Times said the devices are believed to have been planted by Russia to try to gather intelligence on the UK’s four Vanguard submarines, which carry nuclear missiles. The British military discovered the existence of the devices and deemed them a potential threat to national security.

The devices have been characterized as being part of a hybrid war being fought by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Other activities of hybrid warfare could include doing damage to infrastructure assets, such as energy pipelines. Putin’s secret weapon is the threat to the U.K. lurking on its seabeds.

The accusations come after the Royal Navy released pictures in March of a Russian warship that it tracked sailing near British waters. Named Boikiy, it is one of several Russian vessels that have been tracked sailing near the British coast in recent months.

Secretary John Healey of the U.K. Defence Department told members of Parliament in January that the Royal Navy had monitored a Russian spy ship after it was spotted around UK waters. He accused the vessel, called Yantar, of being used to gather intelligence and map the U.K.’s underwater infrastructure.

U.K. Former Conservative Defence and Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood has warned that the U.K. is “behind the curve” in tracking Russia’s deep-sea operations. Ellwood said earlier this month that the use of sensors was “only half the story”, claiming that Russia has established “remote seabed platforms” off the U.K. coast that act as recharging stations for dozens of mini-submarines “to map our undersea cable networks for potential sabotage”.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told BBC News that “We are committed to maintaining and enhancing the security and resilience of critical undersea infrastructure. Just as the Defence Secretary called out the activities of the Russian spy ship Yantar hovering over our undersea cables, let those who threaten the U.K., or our allies be in no doubt that we will defend our undersea infrastructure.”

Responding to the Sunday Times investigation into the sensors, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said, “Alongside our NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force allies, we are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near the U.K. or near NATO territory, harnessing new technologies like AI and coordinating patrols with our allies. And our continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent continues to patrol the world’s oceans undetected as it has done for 56 years.”

U.K. Ministry of Defence