UKIFS is progressing the procurement and onboarding of major industrial capability over this winter, bringing forward significant contracts in the engineering programme alongside the final decision about a preferred construction partner for STEP Fusion.
Final bids are in for the construction partner process, which concluded in November 2025, and evaluation of those bids is underway.
UKIFS expects to announce a preferred partner in January, before beginning the work of embedding that preferred construction partner in to the STEP programme by the end of the financial year. This will allow further work on the development of the supply chain, both in the region around our West Burton site and nationally, for the construction of our prototype plant to commence.
In engineering, UKIFS is building its capability and capacity to engage industry in a number of key areas. These areas include:
- Digital
- Core engineering and integration
- Magnets
- Process plant
- Testing
These priority themes of work are aimed at focusing early efforts on key components of technology that will be required for UK industry to play a key part in delivering commercial fusion in the future.
Work packages are currently in development, and UKIFS aims to bring these opportunities to the market early in 2026, in line with the existing timescales for construction partner onboarding.
UKIFS is absolutely committed to bringing this work to the market and bringing in industry capability to the programme, in support of STEP Fusion’s mission to forge a path to the commercial viability of fusion energy and to build a UK fusion industry. We’ll release further details about these opportunities early in the New Year.
Published 25 November 2025
