A prototype nuclear fusion power plant, possibly the first in the world, will be built by 2040, the Business Secretary has said.
Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Conservative Party conference the fusion energy plant would be built in Nottinghamshire, replacing a coal-fired power station in the area.
Speaking from the main stage at the conference in Birmingham, the Business Secretary said: “Over the decades we have established ourselves as pioneers in fusion science and as a country our capabilities to surmount these obstacles is unparalleled, and I am delighted to make an announcement of a vital step in that mission.
Jacob Rees-Mogg announced the plan at the Conservative Party conference.
Stefan Rousseau
“We will build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire, replacing the West Burton coal-fired power station with a beacon of bountiful green energy.”
He added: “The plant will be the first of its kind, built by 2040 and capable of putting energy on the grid, and in doing so will prove the commercial viability of fusion energy to the world.”
Mr Rees-Mogg said the fusion energy industry could be worth billions of pounds to the UK economy, with the plant leading the way for the country to “design, manufacture and export the first fleet of fusion plants” around the world.
He added this could put the UK at “the vanguard of a market with a potential to be worth trillions of pounds a year”.
Experimental efforts in fusion energy are based at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire.