The economic partnership for Western England and South Wales, The Western Gateway, is leading on a bid to the UK Atomic Energy Authority for Gloucestershire to host the country’s first prototype fusion plant.
The proposed plant would serve as a pilot to demonstrate the commercial viability of nuclear fusion, the combining of atomic particles to release energy, by building a prototype fusion power plant that delivers energy to the grid. The success of such a facility has the potential to make the UK a world leader for fusion, and develop a world-leading industry which will be crucial to achieving a net zero planet by 2050.
The bid, called “Severn Edge”, is already on a final shortlist of five, with a final decision due to be made this autumn. If successful, the project would be supported through £220m of government funding in its first phase.
The bid is being backed by local authorities in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, Nuclear South West, Business West, West of England Combined Authority, West of England LEP, GFirst LEP, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and Bristol University’s South West Nuclear Hub.
If successful, the initiative would attract increased inward investment to communities in the South West, along with creating academic and research opportunities, skills development, and civil engineering opportunities. The project would also create around 31,000 jobs for the area, alongside generating a further £2.8 billion in gross value added.
The nomination will build on the South West’s current nuclear capabilities, with the region already home to key initiatives including the South West Nuclear Hub in Bristol, the Berkeley Green Skills Centre in Gloucestershire, the professional services hub in North Somerset, and Dorset Innovation Park.
Other innovative projects in the region, supported through Heart of the South West LEP funding, include the Somerset Energy & Innovation Centre, the National College for Nuclear (SW Hub), the Gravity Enterprise Zone, and the Hinkley Supply Chain Programme. There have also been significant capital investments in five Further Education Colleges across the Heart of the South West, which form part of the Hinkley Skills Alliance.
The proposal for the new plant will utilise these existing capabilities, and help ensure a sustainable legacy for the future of the region’s nuclear sector.
Corinne Matthews, Nuclear and Aerospace Lead at the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “The proposed Severn Edge plant offers huge benefits not just to Gloucestershire, but to the wider South West region. Our area is already home to a wide range of nuclear activities, and the local sector will benefit hugely from a new, world-leading fusion plant in Gloucestershire. We are hopeful that the bid will be successful, and look forward to working alongside our partner LEPs to support the initiative.”
Find out more about the nomination here.
Find out more about the nuclear sector in the Heart of the South West here.
