A £2.5bn STEP into the future of clean energy

A RECORD £2.5 billion of funding has been announced for a Nottinghamshire energy project that will "completely turn the area around" - but what is it and what does it aim to achieve?

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

A new nuclear fusion energy plant - hoping to be the first of its kind in the world - is set to be built at the site of the former West Burton A power station near Retford.

It's a project that has been a hot topic of discussion for various Governments and organisations over the years - but with little meat on the bones. Yet the recent announcement of the record amount of funding into the project has finally set the wheels in motion, with those behind the project suggesting it could be completed by 2040.

With it, an estimated 10,000 jobs - ranging from construction to operations - are said to be created, with students from local schools, universities and colleges encouraged to get involved with the project.

But what actually is “nuclear fusion energy” and what does it mean for people in Nottinghamshire? We've answered some of these key questions.

What is nuclear fusion energy?

In short, it’s a new type of energy that recreates the same process that powers the sun and occurs when two small nuclei - the structure in a cell that contains the chromosomes - join together to create a bigger nucleus. Think of putting two separate pieces of Lego together to make a whole piece.

This releases radiation - energy that moves from one place to another - and is the same process used in stars like the sun. This creates a new type of energy, which the Government says is cleaner compared to the coal, gas, wind and the nuclear power we currently use.