UK Atomic Energy Authority
Who we are
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the UK government’s research organisation responsible for the development of sustainable fusion energy. Fusion has great potential to deliver sustainable, safe, low carbon energy for generations to come. It is described as the ultimate energy source, being the same process that powers our Sun and all stars across the universe.
To achieve our mission of delivering sustainable fusion energy, while maximising the scientific and economic benefits, we have world-class scientists and engineers working at the leading edge of developing fusion across our Oxfordshire site at Culham Science Centre and our new Fusion Technologies Facility in South Yorkshire. Today, UKAEA continues to advance fusion science and engineering, breaking world records with the international Joint European Torus (JET) fusion experiment while researching new technologies in areas of robotic maintenance, materials science, computing, and increasing our understanding of core plasma physics. To establish fusion energy as a key part of the future energy mix, we are contributing to hugely significant projects both across the World – including ITER, a global effort to prove production of commercially viable fusion energy – and right here in the UK – developing STEP, Britain’s prototype fusion power plant.
Developing fusion – the ultimate energy source
We are working with research partners and industry around the globe to realise the enormous potential of fusion for generating low-carbon electricity. Increasing demand for energy, concerns over climate change, and limited supplies of fossil fuels mean we need to find new, greener ways to power the planet. Fusion – the process that drives the Sun – could offer a virtually limitless supply of energy if mastered on Earth. Bringing it to the electricity grid is one of the toughest challenges in science, but potentially one of the most rewarding.
What is fusion?
Fusion is a form of low-carbon energy whereby the power of the sun is replicated on earth. It involves fusing hydrogen particles in a hot gas known as a ‘plasma’ to unlock large amounts of energy. At equal mass to traditional energy sources, fusion energy releases nearly four times more energy than the burning of coal, oil or gas, and four times as much as nuclear fission reactions. It promises minimal impact to the environment, long-term reliability and weather independence, as well as offering the potential of an abundant, inherently safe low-carbon electricity supply (the raw materials are found in seawater and the Earth’s crust!).