Fusion consortium established to advance private-sector fusion

Three companies have come together to form the U.K. Infinity Fusion Consortium with the objective of developing the first private-sector-led fusion power plant in the United Kingdom using existing "commercially credible" technologies.

The consortium is expected to benefit from the combination of the three partners' expertise. Tennessee-based fusion start-up Type One Energy brings its 400-MWe Infinity Two stellarator fusion power plant design. British fusion technology company Tokamak Energy has its HTS magnet technology and manufacturing background. Texas-based consulting firm AECOM has international engineering and infrastructure capabilities.

SMI mandates in action: All three partners in the consortium are members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), a global network that was founded by King Charles III to help the private sector accelerate the transition to a sustainable economy. That goal is part of the British government's official fusion strategy, which was published in March.

The consortium's work is also in line with King Charles's statement in his recent address to Congress that the United Kingdom and United States "are combining talent and resources in the technologies of tomorrow-our new partnerships in nuclear fusion and quantum computing, and in AI and drug discovery, holding the promise of saving countless lives."

On the formation of the U.K. Infinity Fusion Consortium, SMI CEO Jennifer Jordan-Saifi said, "Type One Energy, Tokamak Energy, and AECOM have come together as members of the SMI, demonstrating the SMI's Terra Carta and Astra Carta mandates in action-business and finance working together to turn breakthrough innovation into measurable progress in building a more sustainable future."

STEP fusion program: The consortium will also be able to take advantage of the United Kingdom's investments in magnetic confinement fusion technology, nuclear supply chains, regulatory matters, and power plant siting for the British government's Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) fusion program, which is promoting the shift from fusion research to commercial deployment. The consortium intends to create a private-sector-led fusion commercialization pathway that complements STEP, for which Tokamak Energy was recently named the systems partner to deliver eight work packages of magnets.

Real-world experience: The consortium stands to benefit from the experience gained by Type One Energy with its Infinity Two fusion power plant project at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Bull Run site. The U.S. project can serve as a technical model for the consortium's Infinity Two deployment in the United Kingdom.

Type One Energy CEO Chris Mowry said that the new consortium "brings together the core industrial capabilities in the U.K. and U.S. required to deploy real-world fusion power plant projects that are commercially viable. By aligning fusion technology, advanced manufacturing, and power plant engineering," he continued, "we are closing the gap between today's energy innovation and tomorrow's energy infrastructure. Our initiative is fully aligned with U.K. and U.S. ambitions to be leaders in commercial fusion deployment."

Tokamak Energy CEO Warrick Matthews said that the consortium "puts Tokamak Energy's transformative magnet technology and manufacturing expertise in the center of another world-class fusion program. Together, we can accelerate toward commercializing a new form of limitless, clean energy and, in combination with our role as STEP magnet systems partner, strengthen the U.K. supply chain's leadership in global fusion."