The U.K. government has announced plans to invest about eight hundred million dollars in the U.K.’s nuclear fusion R&D program through 2027. It confirmed that it would not seek associate membership in the E.U.’s Euratom Research and Training program. The U.K. government said that it would put into place new, alternative R&D programs to support the U.K. fusion sector and strengthen international collaboration is support of the existing U.K. Fusion Strategy.
     Further details about the alternative program were promised later in the autumn. The Treasury confirmed that it plans to invest up to eight hundred million in nuclear fusion R&D until 2027, subject to business case approvals. It said that the funding was in addition to the one hundred and fifty-eight million dollars announced last November. It also stressed that the government remains “very open to collaboration with the EU and other international partners, and this will form a key part of this new program of work”.
     Andrew Bowie is the Minister for Nuclear and Networks. He said, “Today’s investment is a game-changer for the U.K. It gives us the best opportunity to create jobs, investment and, ultimately, economic growth. And it gives our talented science community the opportunity to work with experts all around the world. It will also secure the country’s position as a world-leader in fusion, meaning we could become the first to commercialize this exciting new technology as a clean and secure source of energy.”
     The U.K. government said that the new R&D package would include funding for new facilities to grow new fusion fuel cycle capabilities and support innovation; a new fusion skills package; further support to strengthen international collaborative projects; and measures to accelerate the commercialization of fusion R&D projects.
     Sir Ian Chapman is the CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). He said, “The UKAEA welcomes the clarity about our future relationship with the Euratom R&T program which provides the certainty needed by the sector. The government’s commitment to an ambitious alternative R&D program will be hugely important in sustaining the UK’s position as a leader in fusion R&D as well as developing an industrial capability to deliver future fusion powerplants. We welcome the ambition to retain, and even enhance, our international collaborative relationships through this substantial package of alternative R&D.”
     Tom Greatrex is the CEO of the Nuclear Industry Association. He said, “UK nuclear scientists are world-class, so it’s very good news that they will be able to access Horizon funds. Our association will boost our collaboration with international partners and drive more value into the UK supply chain. We’re also pleased to see that the government has made a separate commitment to a serious program of investment in our UK fusion industry. We are at the forefront of the global race on fusion, and we have to do everything in power to secure that lead and build up our industrial capability to commercialize this technology. Fusion offers the promise of nearly boundless clean energy, and the first country to deploy it successfully will reap the greatest reward.”
     Advocates of nuclear fusion claim that it could prove transformational for the global transition to zero carbon, supplying huge amounts of zero emission power. However, critics have warned that the technology remains decades from commercialization. They say that it will play a limited role in determining whether or not global climate change goals are met, even under beset case scenarios for the development of the technology.