By Professor Declan Diver
AS we move towards a low-carbon future, nations around the world are working to decide how to meet their energy needs without relying on fossil fuels.
One promising potential technology is fusion power, which harnesses the energy generated when atoms are pressed together under conditions similar to those found in the centre of stars.
Unlike the fission reactions harnessed in conventional nuclear power plants, which generate potentially dangerous radioactive waste products, fusion reactions have the potential to create abundant zero-carbon power while producing helium, a harmless inert gas, as a by-product.
Early last year, the UK Atomic Energy Authority solicited bids from around Britain to find a suitable site to base the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, or STEP.
STEP is an ambitious UK Government programme to build a prototype fusion power plant capable of delivering power to the National Grid, and aims to be online by 2040. Lessons learned during the construction and initial operation of STEP will enable the future development of a fleet of commercial fusion plants.
As a professor of plasma physics at the University of Glasgow, I’ve been working on technology adjacent to fusion power for more than 30 years. I was immediately struck by the potential benefits for research, education and the economy that a successful bid to base STEP at a site in Scotland would bring.
Together with North Ayrshire Council and NPL Group, we formed the Fusion Forward (Ardeer) consortium to make the case that a former industrial site in North Ayrshire would be the perfect base for STEP. The consortium’s bid has now made it through two rounds of consideration by the UKAEA and is now the only Scottish site among the five remaining proposals from around the UK.
Next Tuesday, UKAEA representatives will make their final site visit to Ardeer, where we’ll demonstrate that Scotland’s educational, research and skills base make it the ideal location for STEP.
We’ve been working with universities, colleges and schools across the west of Scotland to develop a co-ordinated approach to preparing for STEP by delivering appropriately-designed education opportunities from primary to postgraduate level. That will help to support the delivery of around 3,500 skilled jobs during STEP’s construction, and up to 1,000 engineers, technicians and support staff once the plant is operational. Up to 5% of those jobs will be apprenticeships and graduate positions.
Bringing a former industrial site back into practical use will also require work from workers across the broader community, bringing with it prospects for significant economic regeneration. At the same time, we’ll work with UKAEA to enhance biodiversity on the North Ayrshire coast, which is already home to protected sites of environmental significance.
In the past, Scotland has been a global energy leader, making advancements in coal, gas and oil, and North Ayrshire has a proud industrial heritage as the home of world-leading companies like ICI. We’re proud to be doing our part to secure a brighter, greener future for Scotland by bringing STEP to Ardeer.
Professor Declan Diver, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics & Astronomy, is convenor of the Fusion Forward (Ardeer) consortium
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