In October 2022, the West Burton coal-fired power plant site in Nottinghamshire, England, was selected to host the UK’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP). The demonstration plant is due to begin operating by 2040. The technical objectives of STEP are: to deliver predictable net electricity greater than 100 MW; to innovate to exploit fusion energy beyond electricity production; to ensure tritium self-sufficiency; to qualify materials and components under appropriate fusion conditions; and to develop a viable path to affordable lifecycle costs. As well as the STEP fusion facility, a skills centre and a business park are planned.
“The STEP programme aims to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant by 2040, while also developing a robust fusion supply chain and a pathway to commercial fusion,” says UK Fusion Energy – a subsidiary of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority that will build the plant. “Achieving this vision requires the delivery of an unprecedented and complex engineering design, alongside a major infrastructure project involving a large and diverse supply chain, all on an ambitious timeline.”
UK Fusion Energy has now seeking to procure suitable suppliers (an individual organisation, consortium or joint venture) across five lots to support the delivery of the STEP plant.
The term of the contract under each lot will be two years with an option to extend for one year on two occasions. The total contract length will not exceed four years. UK Fusion Energy said it will award the contract for each lot to a single supplier, with more than one lot possibly being awarded to one supplier. However, a single supplier will only be awarded up to a maximum of three lots.
Under the first lot, UK Fusion Energy is seeking to establish a Breeder Blanket System Partner under a GBP20 million contract to lead the delivery of the Breeder Blanket System. The partner will provide critical capabilities regarding the design, integration and the realisation of designs through to manufacture and operation of the Breeder Blanket System. This includes providing capabilities for management of all engineering data, responsibility for the detailed design of SPP systems, equipment and components and contracting through the supply chain.
UK Fusion Energy is seeking a Fuel Cycle System Partner under Lot 2 to support and then lead on the delivery of key fuelling and fuel cycle sub-systems. Under a GBP20 million contract, they will provide critical capabilities regarding the design, integration and the realisation of designs through to manufacture, delivery and operation of the Fuel Cycle System.
The third lot, worth GBP35 million, is for a Test Operations Partner to lead operations of UK Fusion Energy test facilities and associated test activities. They will be critical to building confidence in and further defining the STEP plant design, while establishing test and operational capabilities that can support its future development and the wider fusion industrialisation. The generated test data and conclusions from these activities will directly inform the design and safety justification of STEP.
Lot 4 is for a Control System Partner, worth GBP15 million, to lead the delivery and integration of control systems across all areas of the plant, working closely with UK Fusion Energy and other partners. They will provide critical capabilities regarding the design, integration and the realisation of designs through to manufacture and operation of the plant control systems. This includes providing capabilities for management of all engineering data, responsibility for the detailed design of SPP control systems, equipment and components and contracting through the supply chain.
Lot 5, worth GBP25 million, is for a Systems Engineering and Whole Plant Integration Partner to provide critical capabilities, primarily within the Design Authority but also within the wider Integrated Projects Teams, to enable the STEP Design Authority to discharge its responsibilities effectively during Tranche 2A. This includes providing capability to support the definition, coordination, and integration of the fusion plant systems to ensure a functional, safe and efficient single operational facility outcome.
The deadline to submit tenders is 29 January 2027. Award decisions are expected on 6 April, with contracts due to begin on 23 April.
In March this year, ILIOS – a consortium led by Kier and Nuvia venture with AECOM, architects AL_A and Turner & Townsend, providing specialist support – was appointed by UK Fusion Energy to deliver the first three‑year, GBP200 million (USD267 million) tranche of the STEP fusion programme. The appointment covered the design and build of a world‑leading prototype fusion power plant and forms part of a wider programme with future opportunities valued at up to GBP10 billion. The consortium will be responsible for the design and construction of all buildings, infrastructure and facilities on the STEP site as well as supporting the constructability and interface of the wider power plant. Works will include site management, design, construction, programme planning, supply chain management, progress monitoring, project controls and constructability assurance, ensuring all activities are fully coordinated with project stakeholders and compliant with all relevant requirements and standards.
