Proposal for a £2bn experimental nuclear power plant lodged by Council
A proposal to build a £2bn nuclear fusion plant on the site of the former Aberthaw Power Station, near Barry, has been lodged with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Aberthaw Power Station was the last coal-fired plant in Wales., and closed in 2019.
Now the local authority has submitted a proposal for the 100 acre site (40 ha) to be the location for the development of a prototype commercial reactor, known as Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), to be connected to the National Grid.
What is nuclear fusion?
Nuclear fusion creates energy by forcing atoms together would create zero-carbon emission energy in the same way as the sun by fusing hydrogen atoms together to make helium.
It is the exact opposite of the process used in today’s nuclear power plants which rely upon fission, using the energy created by atoms breaking apart to create energy.
Supporters highlight that its potential to be able to generate low-carbon power and, unlike nuclear fission plants, that it does not generate radiation.
Critics point out that there are still huge technological and design hurdles to overcome, with no fusion reactor having ever created more power than it consumes.
Others believe that existing, proven, renewable technologies offer a more economical and practical way of tackling climate change.
Other UK sites that have been nominated include the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire.
The UKAEA hopes that its STEP prototype, which would see a concept design produced by 2024, could help roll out commercial fusion power plants across the world.
Construction at its chosen site would then start as soon as 2032, with the power plant becoming operational by 2040.
The UKAEA will assess each nominated site before making a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with a site decision potentially being made as soon as by the end of 2022.
In comments, reported by the Wales Online website, Professor Ian Chapman, chief executive of the UKAEA, said:
“STEP is a novel, challenging and game-changing programme; aiming to realise the potential of fusion energy to provide almost limitless, clean, secure, sustainable low carbon energy in the second half of this century.
“We believe that the community which hosts this facility will place itself at the forefront of a global clean energy revolution — with all the benefits that entails.”
Photo by Frédéric Paulussen on Unsplash
