South West Universities back plan for fusion power plant
West Country councils, business leaders and academics want to see one built in South Gloucestershire
A campaign to bring the UK's first nuclear fusion power plant to the South West has been backed by our region's top universities.
The Universities of Bristol and Bath, plus Cardiff University and the University of Exeter (known collectively as the GW4 Alliance) have written a public letter in support of the idea, to create a plant in South Gloucestershire.
The idea was first announced at a major economic conference for the region earlier this month which you can read about here.
Led by the Western Gateway partnership, the campaign aims to bring the plant, which is part of the UK Government’s STEP programme, to sites in Oldbury and Berkeley.
The STEP programme intends to prove the commercial viability of fusion which has been described as having the potential to become the “ultimate low carbon energy” source, recreating the reaction that takes place within the sun.
The letter claims building the plant at Severn Edge would place it at the “heart of an academic cluster with a unique breadth of skills and research capacity”, significantly increasing “the chances of successfully delivering STEP”.
Dr Jo Jenkinson MBE, Director of the GW4 Alliance, said: “Alternative energy sources are urgently needed to move us away from our reliance on fossil fuels.
"This proposal offers an unprecedented opportunity to engage with a wealth of energy research expertise, world class facilities and cutting-edge equipment across the four GW4 universities.
"Combined, we can play a key role in driving green and economic regional growth in the area, which is why we offer our full support to the Severn Edge STEP Fusion bid.”
The Western Gateway partnership campaign was recently announced as being in the top five sites in the running to host a fusion plant.
Katherine Bennett CBE, Chair of the Western Gateway Partnership, said: “Our bid to bring the UK’s STEP programme to the Western Gateway area offers access to the right skills and supply chain to ensure the UK is world-leading in developing this fuel which could prove vital in our efforts to tackling climate change.
“Not only this, but our site in Severn Edge is also unique in meaning the programme would stand to benefit two countries across the union offering opportunities to level up communities in Wales and England at risk of being left behind.”
The Western Gateway partnership and the GW4 recently announced a strategic partnership, promising to work together through shared expertise and knowledge to power mutual projects that aim to level up communities and help the world achieve a net zero carbon economy faster.