Public–private partnership in the UK fusion program

Abstract

Fusion power could be one of a few sustainable options in a portfolio required to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary energy source. The attractive properties of fusion combined with the imperative to address climate change has resulted in a burgeoning interest in the field with a dramatic growth in privately funded fusion ventures in recent years. Historically, fusion has been developed by governments globally, including through ITER, the largest scientific collaborative project ever undertaken. The result is that the majority of people working in fusion today as well as most of the intellectual property reside within the public sector. However, there is equally a recognition that the private sector plays a vital role in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects, especially at the pace and agility required in the case of fusion and because it is the private sector that ultimately will deliver a fleet of fusion plants. Therefore, many countries are increasingly pursuing variants of public–private partnerships in the delivery of fusion. In this paper, we provide the perspective of expedient delivery of fusion through public–private partnership as presently intended in the UK fusion program.