STEP: Integrating research across disciplines towards fusion commercialisation

The urgency of climate change is focusing minds to provide sustainable solutions to the world’s energy problems - both the immediate need to replace fossil fuels and the need to meet the increasing global demand for energy beyond 2050. New technologies are likely required to meet that need, and several of these must be driven forward now if they are to be ready in time. Fusion is a good example. Recently, the UK Government announced £222M for the STEP Programme - Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production. STEP is a national programme, led by UKAEA, that seeks to deliver a prototype reactor, by 2040, that will deliver net fusion energy, paving the way for a fleet of commercial fusion reactors beyond that. However, there remain significant technical challenges spanning a wide range of disciplines that must be addressed. This presentation will summarise those challenges and the approach that the STEP programme will take, highlighting the challenges of a programme that seeks to integrate discovery and design.