AL_A appointed to design £200m fusion power plant in Nottinghamshire

Amanda Levete’s practice AL_A has been appointed to design a prototype fusion powerplant at a former coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire.

The government said the £200m project at the West Burton Power Station site, set to open in 2040, is aiming to create a “world-class destination for energy innovation”.

The project is part of the government’s STEP Fusion programme, which is seeking to turn the UK into the best place in the world for fusion research and “open the doors to virtually limitless clean energy” at a time of rising prices for fossil fuels.

The redevelopment of West Burton, which closed in 2023 after 57 years of energy generation, is expected to support around 8,000 jobs on site when the project is at its peak. 

AL_A’s involvement in the project comes three years after its plans for a fusion demonstration facility at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire were granted planning approval.

On the West Burton job the practice is working as part of a delivery partner team called ILIOS consortium, announced by the government today, which also includes Kier, Aecom and Turner & Townsend.

ILIOS will act as the principal designer and main contractor on the prototype plant including all early enabling works, civil engineering and logistics. The project will also include the development of the world’s most powerful fusion supercomputer, backed by £45m of government investment.

ILIOS programme director Simon Matthews said: “This is a significant milestone in the UK’s transition to clean energy. Following an extensive and collaborative procurement stage, we are proud to be selected as construction partner for the STEP programme and to be part of this innovative and transformative chapter in energy supply.”

Matthews added: “Through our involvement on the STEP programme, we will help advance the UK’s future energy resilience and decarbonisation ambitions, supporting economic and regional growth, high-quality jobs and the development of a long-term, UK-based, fusion supply chain.”

The announcement of a construction team for the project comes as the government unveils its Fusion Strategy, which sets out a routemap for attracting private investment for a home-grown fusion energy industry.

Lord Vallance, the government’s former chief science advisor during the covid pandemic and now minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, said Britain will “lead the way on research, innovation and skills for a future of limitless fusion energy”.

He added: “By backing our fusion industry, we are not only securing our future energy independence, but from innovation and research to engineers, we are also providing the skilled clean energy jobs of the future for British people.”