UK Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE), the organisation delivering the STEP programme to build the UK’s first prototype fusion power plant, has welcomed hundreds of businesses from across the UK to Nottinghamshire as it gears up for a massive investment in the UK’s future energy needs.
STEP Fusion is the UK’s £1.3 billion government-backed programme to build a prototype fusion power plant at West Burton, near Retford. Work to redevelop the 800-acre site and establish the supply chain needed to deliver the programme is already underway.
The two-day Meet the Buyer event at The Bridge Skills Hub in Worksop brought together delivery partners and businesses from across the UK to discuss future opportunities.
Dan Bishop, Chief Commercial Officer at UK Fusion Energy, said: “The two days in Worksop have been brilliant. We have had hundreds of potential suppliers talking to us and what that shows is both the sheer scale of the opportunities in this programme and the appetite among businesses across the UK to get involved.
“While we have clear routes for firms to engage with us – including our online supplier portal – these face-to-face conversations have been immensely valuable in helping us to identify companies with the capacity to support a project of global significance.”
The West Burton site is being redeveloped by the ILIOS Consortium, led by Kier and Nuvia. Simon Matthews, Programme Director for ILIOS, said: “Our teams are on site at West Burton and already working at pace to develop the work packages needed for its redevelopment into a national and international energy technology destination.
“We have been talking to businesses who can provide everything from construction materials to civil engineering services and what this event has shown us is that there are clear opportunities to support local and regional businesses in the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire – STEP is already creating jobs and putting money back into the economy.”
The Worksop event was organised to help businesses understand the scale of the opportunities emerging through STEP Fusion and the redevelopment of the West Burton site, while providing direct access to the teams responsible for delivering the programme.
Representatives from UK Fusion Energy, ILIOS, Tokamak Energy, Dassault Systèmes and UKAEA met suppliers from engineering, manufacturing, construction, logistics and professional services.
Dan Bishop added: “Building a successful fusion energy programme will require collaboration across a wide range of industries and disciplines. Events like this help us identify capability, build relationships and ensure that businesses understand how they can engage with future opportunities as the programme develops.”
The event forms part of UK Fusion Energy’s wider commitment to developing the supply chain, skills and industrial capability needed to deliver STEP and support the UK’s future fusion industry. Businesses can continue to engage through the STEP Fusion’s supplier portal and future market engagement activities.
ENDS
STEP Fusion is a world-leading UK programme advancing fusion energy towards commercial deployment. Its mission is to demonstrate net energy, fuel self-sufficiency, and electricity generation from fusion, while helping to grow a new fusion industry. The programme will deliver a prototype spherical tokamak power plant and is led by UK Fusion Energy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Group.
UK Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE) is responsible for delivering the UK’s flagship fusion programme, STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production). The organisation is leading the design and development of the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant at West Burton in Nottinghamshire, targeting first operations in the 2040s. Working with industry and research partners, UKFE is building a public-private alliance to scale commercial fusion energy and support long-term energy security.
