Inside the bold Step energy experiment...

I'LL be honest - when I was first tasked a few weeks ago with producing a story about nuclear fusion energy, I wasn’t exactly an expert.

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

I will admit, I had to do a fair bit of research before I went about writing the piece.

Yet, not even a month later, I found myself standing in the middle of a billion-pound fusion project, wearing a hard hat, high-vis jacket, safety glasses and toe-cap boots, while being briefed by officials at the programme.

Myself and Notts Live photographer Joe had been invited to see the site of the new STEP nuclear fusion plant at the former West Burton Power Station near Retford in the hopes of understanding what the project is and the impact it will have locally.

Before the visit, we weren't quite sure what to expect. Given the STEP project - which aims to create a new type of energy using the same process that powers the sun - isn’t set to be complete until 2040, what would we actually see at the site?

Combined with the fact that the cooling towers from the former power station won't be fully demolished until 2028, we wondered if we'd just be visiting what was essentially a glorified building site.

And while far from a completed or refined project, we got a glimpse into what the site could eventually become and, ultimately, a glimpse into the future.

But what are the main strengths of the project and what are the real obstacles that will need to be overcome for it to be successful? Here are a few of my takeaways from the visit.

An ambitious project? That's an understatement