The UK Government has just published today its Fusion Strategy, giving the UK a clear path to commercial fusion energy

Economic growth is the central mission of this Government. The UK’s modern Industrial Strategy sets out a bold and credible plan to unlock long-term investment, drive productivity and grow the industries that will underpin sustained economic growth into the future. As a priority sub-sector in the Clean Energy Sector Plan, fusion energy is one of those industries.
 

The UK’s position as a leader in fusion energy R&D is something we should be proud of. In 2021, the UK was the first country in the world to publish a fusion energy strategy, building on the R&D excellence of over 60 years at Culham in Oxfordshire and setting out a pathway to commercialisation. Since then, we have seen rapid progress and growing private sector involvement, reinforcing the UK’s position as a global leader in fusion innovation. 

Today, the UK is backing fusion research and commercialisation with over £2.5 billion over five years as part of the UK’s Plan for Change. Culham Campus is already driving economic growth and capability throughout the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and right across the country. We are seeing private companies in the UK raise capital, generate revenue, and apply fusion-derived technologies across sectors. We are developing the STEP site at West Burton in Nottinghamshire which will bring thousands of jobs and industrial renewal to the site of a former coal power station.

But the landscape continues to evolve. Other countries have published their own strategies with significant investment into fusion from China, Germany, Japan and the US. The challenge has shifted from research excellence to industrial leadership, through growing and supporting an ecosystem of SMEs; developing strong supply chains; and delivering a commercially viable fusion plant. 

The UK is ready to lead this next phase, building a thriving fusion industry from supply chains to developers, creating a skilled workforce, supporting commercialisation and deployment, and catalysing demand through the UK’s STEP programme. We are committed to making the UK the best place in the world to develop and deploy fusion energy.

The UK has historically excelled in R&D capability but has not always capitalised its opportunities by turning a technical advantage into a commercial advantage. Fusion cannot be the next in a line of missed opportunities. It is a sector where the UK leads today and can capitalise on tomorrow. 

It will help us capture a greater share of foreign direct investment, support high-quality job creation, and strengthen our energy resilience. It is already catalysing investment, creating high-quality jobs, and driving innovation across the country. Fusion is a launchpad for more UK-based advanced manufacturing, greater sovereign engineering excellence, and global 
leadership in clean energy.

It is a growth story rooted in British ingenuity, industrial ambition, and international leadership, and it is a story we are proud to support.

This strategy, led by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and supported across Government, sets out how we will go further, taking decisions for long-term prosperity while delivering tangible benefits now: creating thousands of jobs, attracting new companies and capabilities, while turning the promise of fusion into reality. A reality not just enabled through 
commercialisation but through innovation, deployment and market creation. 

There is evidently a big job to do, requiring collaboration and commitment across government, industry, and academia. Such an undertaking with all its technical and commercial uncertainties will not be without setbacks. Those pursuing and supporting fusion, whether across government or in the private sector, should be bold and not fear these challenges but recognise that they are steps on a journey to a new industrial and energy revolution. And, like 
every major revolution before it, this will bring not only end-goal benefits but a wave of enabling technologies in its wake that reshape industries and societies. 

We are delighted that through this strategy, the pathway for achieving this is not only possible but clear and actionable.

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Fusion energy strategy 2026
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