The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is collaborating with integrated energy company, Eni to research and develop technologies for nuclear fusion.
The collaboration will start with the construction of what is said will be the world’s largest and most advanced tritium fuel cycle facility. The UKAEA-Eni H3AT (pronounced ‘heat’) Tritium Loop Facility, located at Culham Campus, is expected to be completed in 2028.
Tritium – an isotope of hydrogen – is a critical fuel for nuclear fusion reactors. Its recovery and re-use will play a fundamental role in the supply and generation of the fuel in future fusion power plants, and will be crucial in making the technology increasingly efficient.
Fusion is a form of energy whereby the power of the Sun is replicated on Earth. The fusion process sees two hydrogen isotopes fuse together under intense heat and pressure to form a helium atom, releasing large amounts of emissions-free energy through a safe, cleaner and virtually inexhaustible process.
Fusion energy could be transformational to contribute to energy security and decarbonisation. The UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility is designed to serve as a world-class facility providing industry and academia the opportunity to study how to process, store and recycle tritium.
Professor Sir Ian Chapman, chief executive of UKAEA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Eni who have shown great commitment to fusion. We believe that fusion energy can contribute to a net zero future, including going beyond the decarbonisation of electricity.
“The H3AT demonstration plant will set a new benchmark as the largest and most advanced tritium fuel cycle facility in the world, paving the way for innovative offerings in fusion fuel and demonstrating the UK’s leadership in this crucial area of research and development.”
Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s chief executive, added: “Fusion energy is meant to revolutionise the global energy transition path, accelerating the decarbonisation of our economic and industrial systems, helping to spread access to energy, and reducing energy dependency ties within a more equitable transition framework.
“Eni is strongly committed to various areas of research and development of this complex technology, in which it has always firmly believed. [W]ith our UK partners we are laying the foundations for further progress towards the goal of fusion which – if we consider its enormous scope of technological innovation – is increasingly concrete and not so far off in time. To continue this virtuous development, international system-level technological partnerships like this one are indispensable.”
Eni will contribute to the H3AT project with its expertise in managing and developing large-scale projects, helping to de-risk its roadmap. This partnership combines UKAEA’s extensive expertise in fusion research and development with Eni’s established industrial-scale capabilities in plant engineering, commissioning, and operations.
UK climate minister, Kerry McCarthy, said: “We are proud to be at the forefront of global innovation in clean energy fusion technologies, and this collaboration with Eni marks a significant step towards unlocking the potential of fusion energy, supporting our missions for economic growth, clean power and energy independence.
“The UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility will not only position the UK as a leader in the development of fusion fuel technologies but also accelerate progress towards a future of safe, sustainable, and abundant clean energy.”
Main image: Visualisation of the UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility. Credit: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
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