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Future space missions could have new options opened up by nuclear technology, experts attending an International Atomic Energy Agency event have said.

Source: World Nuclear News
Date: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-power-in-space-is-focus-of-IAEA-and-UN-eve

New report highlights current opportunities for progress in commercialisation of the technology The UK has shortlisted five sites as the potential future home of the country’s first prototype fusion energy plant. Courtesy UKAEA. Capital costs for the development of a new generation of nuclear fusion reactors are high at around £100/MWh, but a substantial programme of standard build could bring them down to a viable target of £60-£70/MWh, a report published by engineering group Assystem says.

According to the report, which examines the potential for fusion in the UK, the government has estimated the 2040 levelised costs of electricity (LCOE) for the UK for standalone offshore wind, onshore wind and large-scale solar of £40/MWh, £44/MWh and £33/MWh respectively.

The £60-£70/MWh cost for fusion “provides the first target for nuclear fusion to be economically competitive”, the report concludes. It says fusion is uncompetitive today with other low-carbon options available in the UK – including wind and light-water nuclear fission reactors. The reason for this is the combination of a relatively high construction cost (£5,887/kWe) and a low capacity factor (56%).

The International Energy Agency has put the LCOE for advanced nuclear at $63/MWh (about £45/MWh).

With an improved, large fusion design the construction cost decreases to £4,135/kWe and the capacity factor to 75%. These two effects improve the fusion economics, decreasing the LCOE into the range £60 to £97/MWh. For a small fusion design, the energy cost of 75 units is in the region of £69- £99/MWh – a range that is comparable to 10 units of large fusion reactors and also the energy cost of LWR fission reactors.

Source: Nucnet
Date: Saturday, 23 October 2021
Original article: nucnet.org/news/capital-costs-are-high-but-can-be-reduced-to-economically-competitive-level-10-4-2021

The UK government announced this week its invitation to local communities to put forward proposals to host the country's prototype fusion energy power plant. The successful site will be home to the construction of STEP - the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production - that is targeted for completion by 2040. At a media briefing ahead of the government's announcement, Professor Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, explained why this is an exciting prospect for the whole world.

Source: World Nuclear News
Date: Saturday, 05 December 2020
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Speech-The-search-for-a-UK-home-for-the-world-s-fi

Experimental and theoretical research has shown 'spherical' tokamaks to be a "fast route to fusion" compared with more "conventional" tokamak devices such as Joint European Torus (JET), according to David Kingham, chief executive of Tokamak Energy.

Source: World Nuclear News
Date: Monday, 30 January 2017
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Spherical-tokamak-to-put-fusion-power-in-grid-by-2

A new high-temperature research facility has been opened in the UK, to be managed by Amec Foster Wheeler (AFW) on behalf of the High Temperature Facility (HTF) Alliance. It will provide "open access for research organisations to test materials for applications such as Generation IV nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and advanced gas turbines".

Source: NEI Magazine
Date: Thursday, 22 September 2016
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsnew-nuclear-research-facilities-for-the-uk-5013319