Of all the green energy projects across the globe, few promise as much as the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion power plant in Nottinghamshire. There are also plans to sell the technology worldwide which could prove particularly beneficial to the UK’s export market.

What Is Nuclear Fusion?

In existing nuclear power plants, nuclear fission generates heat by splitting heavy atoms with high-speed particles. Nuclear fusion is different as it generates heat by joining two lightweight atoms to form a heavier atom rather than splitting them. This process releases energy that can be used to generate clean electricity.

Related: A New Way Forward For Nuclear Fusion

Why A Nuclear Fusion Power Plant?

Scientists have been looking at nuclear fusion as a limitless source of clean energy for some time but the technology was lacking. However, following several successful attempts over the last 70 years or so, we are closer than ever and this new nuclear fusion power plant is evidence of how far we’ve come in a relatively short space of time.

Many researchers believe that fusion energy is the future of sustainable, low-carbon energy which could be the ultimate solution to tackling the global energy crisis. As impressive as a modern nuclear fusion power plant may be, harnessing and keeping the tremendously powerful forces in check is a big challenge.

This is largely due to a fusion reactor housing a super-hot cloud of electrically charged gas several times hotter than the sun’s core. The good news is that fusion power is relatively safe as we’ll discuss in the next section.

Is A Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Safe?

Nuclear fusion power plants have the potential to be much safer than conventional nuclear fission power plants we use today. Here are some of the reasons why generating clean electricity at a nuclear fusion power plant is inherently safe:

  • Fusion reactions produce far less radioactive waste than fission reactions
  • The waste from nuclear fusion power plants also has a shorter half-life
  • Fusion reactions can be controlled more easily than fission reactions so there is a considerably smaller risk of a catastrophic accident
  • Since fusion reactions only take place under extreme conditions, i.e. temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, a ‘runaway’ chain reaction cannot occur

According to Sehila González de Vicente, Nuclear Fusion Physicist at the IAEA: “Fusion is a self-limiting process: if you cannot control the reaction, the machine switches itself off.”

Prototype Nuclear Fusion Facility To Create Jobs And Boost UK Economy

At the Conservative Party Conference, Business Secretary Jacob Rees Mogg confirmed that the site at West Burton in Nottinghamshire will be the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion power plant.

Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council said it will result in significant investment and thousands of jobs in the region. He added that “the site will be the international hub for carbon-neutral, fusion development, attracting the brightest minds locally and from across the world, boosting skills, training, and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs.”

The prototype nuclear fusion site will be the first time fusion energy will be commercialised and that opens the door to selling this technology across the world. As far as exposure goes, this will certainly put Nottinghamshire high on the export map.

Benefits Of A Nuclear Fusion Power Plant

As mentioned throughout this article, fusion energy has tremendous potential and is safer than nuclear fission. According to research by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), here are some of the primary advantages of fusion energy:

  • It produces zero greenhouse gas emissions with no waste products. The only by-product is helium which is a non-toxic gas
  • Nuclear fusion is inherently safe as is difficult to reach and maintain the precise conditions for fusion. If something does go wrong, the plasma cools within seconds which means the reaction stops almost instantly
  • Since the raw materials required for nuclear fusion power plants are in seawater and the Earth’s crust, there are sufficient resources to power the planet for hundreds of millions of years
  • Nuclear fusion can generate energy on demand and is unaffected by weather conditions
  • A nuclear fusion power plant also requires less land than other renewable technologies

Nuclear Waste

Nuclear Fusion For The Future

Despite some challenges, experts believe that nuclear fusion is the most promising long-term solution to the world’s growing energy needs. A nuclear fusion power plant would be virtually limitless in its ability to generate clean electricity with very little pollution.

This news couldn’t have come at a better time since energy security has been a major cause for concern, especially since Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine. While this new nuclear fusion power plant won’t help ease the current energy crisis, perhaps it will help the UK and other countries avoid similar issues in the future.

Since the construction of the prototype facility is only starting in the early 2030s, it won’t ease the current energy crisis but perhaps it will help the UK and other countries avoid similar issues in the future. The plan is for the nuclear fusion power plant to be operational by 2040.

Conclusion

As fusion energy offers a potentially limitless source of electricity, if we improve the technology and build more nuclear fusion power plants around the world, future generations could benefit from a safe, clean, and sustainable source of energy.

Without greenhouse gas emissions and an abundance of fuel, nuclear fusion can be a safe and sustainable part of the world’s future energy supply. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already confirmed that a nuclear fusion power plant is more environmentally friendly and perfectly safe since it’s not based on a chain reaction as with nuclear fission.

For more fascinating articles covering a wide range of topics, simply follow our engineering blog. You can also join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #PRVtech. Find out more about our extensive range of services on our website and PRV’s dedicated YouTube channel.