Bassetlaw's West Burton in running for UK's first fusion energy plant

A site close to the existing coal-fired power station, which is near Retford and set to close in 2022, is one of 15 UK sites in the running to host the new plant.

The successful site, for STEP, will become a ‘global hub’ for fusion energy and associated industries, creating thousands of highly skilled jobs during the construction and operation of the plant.

Ratcliffe-on-soar, also in Nottinghamshire, has been put forward as another possible location.

Councillor Simon Greaves, leader of Bassetlaw District Council said: “I am pleased to see that the West Burton site has been taken forward to the next stage of consideration under the STEP programme.

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"This site has been a major contributor to the regional and national economy for over 50 years and I am confident that it has all the attributes to play a part in our move to a carbon free energy future.

“Together with partners we are committed to doing all that we can to bring forward this ambitious proposal which will play a significant part in enabling the Government to deliver on its Levelling Up agenda by bring much needed jobs and investment to this part of north Nottinghamshire.”

The next stage of the process is a thorough technical assessment to assess the comparative suitability of the sites.

Once all assessment processes are complete, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will make a final decision on the site, anticipated around the end of 2022.

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