Machine 4 Design UKAEA and First Light Fusion to construct a new facility to house First Light’s new net energy gain demonstrator (“Machine 4”) in Oxford, UK The agreement will see both parties developing the building at Culham Campus Architects and technical designers have been appointed, construction expected to begin in 2024 Machine 4’s … Read more
Professor Sir Ian Chapman The full New Year Honours list for 2023 recognises achievements and service of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom. Fusion energy offers the potential of an abundant, inherently safe low-carbon electricity supply. It involves fusing hydrogen particles in a hot gas known as a ‘plasma’ to unlock large amounts of … Read more
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, James Cartlidge discusses MAST-U with UKAEA’s CEO Ian Champan Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade (MAST-U) machine tackles further technical challenges for long-term viability of future fusion powerplants Experiments test the integration of a high-performance core plasma with strong dissipation in the Super-X divertor configuration Exchequer Secretary James Cartlidge hails power … Read more
Advanced robotics and remote handling technologies from fusion successfully trialled for complex operations in the space industry. Culham and Harwell, Oxfordshire – UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Satellite Applications Catapult have partnered to demonstrate how advanced remote handling and robotics technology developed for fusion energy research can be used to provide maintenance for … Read more
***Cornerstone Arts Centre, free documentary screenings and Q&A, 4pm & 6.30pm, Tues 29 November *** Oxfordshire residents are invited to watch a film and meet the cast of record-breaking fusion energy scientists and engineers aiming to recreate a star here on Earth. Star Makers – The Energy of Tomorrow, is a behind-the-scenes documentary filmed … Read more
Former prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, underlined his continued support for fusion energy and its role in addressing energy security and climate change for generations to come. During a recent visit to UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in Oxfordshire, Sir Tony was briefed by fusion leaders on the progress of STEP – the UK’s prototype … Read more
L-R: Amanda Quadling and Antonia Jenkinson at UKAEA’s Materials Research Facility The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has completed a £10m extension of its world-leading Materials Research Facility (MRF) at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire. Specialist materials that can withstand extreme conditions are a critical part of delivering fusion energy as a safe, sustainable, low … Read more
Tokamak Energy and UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) have signed a framework agreement to enable closer collaboration on developing spherical tokamaks as a route to commercial fusion energy. The five-year agreement will take the form of joint technology development, shared utilisation of equipment and facilities and associated secondment of staff between the two organisations. The … Read more
***Free public talk, 7 September, Examinations School, Oxford*** A robotics expert will bring to life a fascinating future where intuitive machines are deployed to go where humans can’t in a free public talk in central Oxford next month. “Essential robotics: a guide to our shared future” will be presented by Professor Rob Buckingham OBE, who … Read more
A Jenga-playing robot with a human touch used to maintain a fusion energy machine – where temperatures can be hotter than the sun – has been reunited with its identical superhero twin for the first time since 1999. Both known as MASCOT, the highly dextrous manipulators are being put through their paces in … Read more
