The race to build a nuclear fusion power plant is as contentious as ever. Several countries are pushing towards developing a facility to produce near-limitless energy. The United Kingdom is one of them. Recently, the country proved its commitment with a deal involving one of the biggest local tech firms.

Tokamak Energy was officially named the Magnet Systems Partner for the STEP fusion program. This £70 million contract runs through early 2029, and it puts the company’s specialized magnet technology at the heart of the country’s clean energy plans.

Fusion is often called the “holy grail” of energy because it mimics the way the sun creates power. To do that on Earth, you need incredibly strong magnets to hold super-hot gas, called plasma, in place. Tokamak Energy is an expert in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, which are basically the engines that will make nuclear fusion power plants work.

Powering Nuclear Fusion

This partnership gives the STEP program access to real-world hardware that is already breaking records. Tokamak Energy will use its ST40 machine, a compact, high-field fusion device, to test how these magnetic fields and plasmas behave in real time. This helps the team learn much faster than they would by just using simulations.

The company recently showed what its tech can do with its Demo4 magnet system. It managed to create a magnetic field of 11.8 Tesla at freezing temperatures. To give you an idea of the scale, that is a huge milestone for building magnets that are strong enough for a full-sized power plant. By using these existing machines, the UK can figure out the tricky parts of the design much earlier in the process.

Localizing Clean Energy

Since Tokamak Energy is the only manufacturer in the country with this specific HTS expertise, the contract ensures the UK keeps these vital skills at home.

“Confirming our position in the UK’s world-leading fusion program is a proud day for Tokamak Energy. HTS magnets are a transformative technology essential for delivering energy-producing fusion devices like STEP and unlocking new levels of performance in other sectors,” Warrick Matthews, Tokamak Energy CEO, said. “Our expertise and experience include operating two of the most advanced fusion machines of today and will be invaluable as we scale up in partnership towards a low carbon, secure energy future.”

“This partnership is about delivering together,” Dan Bishop, Chief Commercial Officer at UKFE, added. “Tokamak Energy brings the complementary skills, facilities and experience to move at pace. Our mission to deliver the STEP program objectives is enhanced by this partnership.”