Tokamak Energy has released the first images of its commercial fusion power plant, which will generate enough electricity to power 50,000 homes in the 2030s.
Tokamak Energy is a UK-based company developing nuclear fusion technology. Their ST-E1 fusion pilot plant is a small-scale prototype reactor designed to test the viability of their compact spherical tokamak design.
The reactor uses a magnetic field to contain the plasma, which is heated to millions of degrees Celsius to create nuclear fusion reactions. This technology could provide a virtually limitless source of clean energy. The pilot plant will demonstrate the capability of delivering electricity to the grid in the early 2030s.
One kilogram of fusion fuel releases the same amount of energy as burning around 10 million kilograms of coal, with no harmful emissions.
Credit Tokamak Energy
The process that powers the sun and stars, fusion is the opposite of nuclear fission – combining lighter atoms rather than splitting heavier ones – and is easy to stop because it needs a continuous fuel supply. It produces no long-lived nuclear waste.
Warrick Matthews, Tokamak Energy MD, said: “Fusion energy from power plants like this will be zero carbon, safe, secure, extremely efficient, and run on limitless fuel from seawater. Fusion is the ultimate energy source – no emissions and you can put a plant where you need it.
“Renewables are fantastic and absolutely vital, however, we also need dependable, reliable power you can switch on around the clock – when the sun isn’t shining or wind isn’t blowing – without high storage costs. Fusion fills that important gap as part of a sustainable net zero future.”
