The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has awarded contracts worth a total of GBP 3.1m to 18 organisations that hope to make commercial fusion energy a reality.
The contracts, which range between GBP 50,000 and GBP 200,000, will support feasibility studies by 15 companies and three universities, focusing on two main concerns.
Research by Calgavin, TWI, Idom (UK) and the University of Manchester will tackle heating and cooling systems. Meanwhile, the University of Birmingham and Swansea University will work with private industry to improve the availability of fusion power plants with new fusion materials, technology and manufacturing processes.
These companies come from all levels of industry and include Archer Technicoat, Astral Neutronics, Castings Technology International, Duality Quantum Photonics, Fraser-Nash Consultancy, Full Matrix, Jacobs UK, Laser Additive Solutions, Oxford, QDOT Technology, Sigma, 3-Sci and TWI.
The projects funded under the scheme will tackle specific challenges concerning the commercial future of fusion energy to make larger numbers of fusion power plants commercially viable.