Balfour Beatty, Kier, Bam and Ferrovial are among those in the running to work on a world-leading prototype nuclear fusion power plant.
As part of a £410m investment from the government to boost the UK fusion sector, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) facility will be built at the former West Burton coal power plant in Nottinghamshire. It is set to be operational by 2040.
UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) announced today (16 January) that the three construction partners selected for the next stage of its procurement process are:
- Inovus Infrastructure – consisting of Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering as lead member, as well as Vinci Construction, AtkinsRéalis, Mott MacDonald and WSP.
- ILIOS – made up of Kier Infrastructure and Overseas as lead member plus Bam Nuttall, Nuvia, Aecom, Turner & Townsend Infrastructure and Amanda Levete Architects.
- Ferrovial Mace JV – featuring Ferrovial Construction UK as lead member alongside Mace Consult.
The overall value of the job could be worth up to £20bn, UKIFS previously told Construction News.
Nuclear fusion could theoretically provide limitless low-carbon energy but has not yet been developed into an ongoing working model.
It works by fusing two light atoms together to form another element, with the excess energy released in the form of heat. It is the same process that powers the sun.
UKIFS chief executive Paul Methven told CN in June that the construction partner’s main responsibility will be to drive the integrated design of the overall layout, buildings, infrastructure, and onsite and offsite facilities of the STEP prototype plant.
He added: “We need capabilities in construction, integration and management that can pull in clever design and apply best practices in terms of MMC [modern methods of construction], for instance.
“What we’re interested in is the capability to work closely with the engineering design team to help design, develop and optimise the site.”
Two engineering teams have also been announced on a shortlist for the project today. They are:
- Celestial JV – consisting of Eni UK as the lead member along with AtkinsRealis, Jacobs Clean Energy (now Amentum), Westinghouse and Tokamak Energy.
- Phoenix (UK) Fusion – consisting of Cavendish Nuclear as the lead member, as well as KBR and Assystem Energy & Infrastructure.
Main contracts for both the construction partner and engineering team are due to be awarded towards the end of this year or early 2026, following detailed discussions with UKIFS.
Some of the £410m will also be used to fund skills development and other research and development facilities.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “After scientists first theorised over 70 years ago that it could be possible, we are now within grasping distance of unlocking the power of the sun and providing families with secure, clean, unlimited energy.
“Britain is at the forefront of this global race to deliver fusion, and today’s record level of funding will provide investment and economic growth through our Plan for Change, delivering on net zero and creating the clean energy of the future.”
From the archive: CN visits the Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire as it is set for expansion in a bid to kickstart a nuclear fusion energy solution, and learns about the upcoming work for contractors
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Ian Weinfass