Big doughnuts back in the frame

From time to time I comment on matters energy, sometimes on the sort of energy that might be got from a fusion device. The Holy Grail of energy production which fusion scientists have been chasing ever since we exploded fusion bombs in the 1950's of the last century. I have always assumed that if it could be made to work it would be a good idea: such a power station might be very expensive and involve a great deal of steel, concrete and other more exotic materials, but the more or less free power which followed would make it all worth while.

Something to plug the gaps with when the windmills weren't turning fast enough for one reason or another.

A lot of effort is presently being poured into the ITER project in France which aims to produce continuous fusion and significant fusion power, with the transition from construction to production scheduled for the end of 2025.

Against this background, I was interested to read in this morning's FT that the UK is looking around for a 100ha site on which to build put a prototype nuclear fusion plant called STEP - Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production. Perhaps we have Mr. Cummings to thank for the acronym; he was supposed to be good at that kind of thing. Production for 2040 or so. Let's hope that the Crossrail project doesn't set the pace for cost and time overruns.

Further good news is that it all looks quite serious with UKAEA in the lead and with several billion pounds earmarked for design and construction. And UKAEA looks as if it still part of government, so perhaps it got overlooked in the various waves of privatisation - which included plenty of other sensitive and defence flavoured stuff. Perhaps we will start to get some more value out of our huge investment in matters nuclear - for getting on for a century now. Well over half a century anyway.

PS: fusion is both safe and clean. A fusion power station would be most unlikely to explode in the way of a bomb and would not produce waste which was expensive to deal with. Very eco.

Reference 1: psmv2: Big doughnuts. A comment.

Reference 2: ITER - the way to new energy. A big step towards fusion power for real.

Reference 3: STEP – Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (ukaea.uk). The UK effort to come.