For fusion to occur, hydrogen atoms are placed under high heat and pressure until they fuse together.The tokamak (artist's impression) is the most developed magnetic confinement system and is the basis for the design of many modern fusion reactors. A reactor that only works in extreme, near-perfect conditions that we can’t feasibly create ultimately isn’t useful, no matter how cutting-edge it is. The reactor was built at a new site next to the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, the UK's fusion research laboratory which opened in 1965. The new MAST Upgrade spherical tokamak experiment is due to start operations at Culham early in 2020. No other privately-funded fusion reactor has ever achieved this. The UK government has recently announced an investment of £200m to deliver electricity from a fusion reactor by 2040. Each of the seven partners in ITER — China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States — is working on designing commercial reactors, building supply chains and developing domestic expertise to exploit the next stage of fusion development, he says. As with many other aspects of Brexit, the question is how to ensure an ongoing relationship. Nuclear fusion has the potential to be an unlimited clean, safe and carbon-free energy source and we want the first commercially viable machine to be in the U.K.“This long-term investment will build on the UK’s scientific leadership, driving advancements in materials science, plasma physics and robotics to support new hi-tech jobs and exports.”Professor Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, added: “The UK has a proud heritage of pioneering developments in fusion research. Private companies and governments have … Our “Construction-Management-as-Agent,” the consortium that supports the ITER Organisation in managing construction and assembly on the worksite, is Momentum; and the largest member of Momentum is Wood (formerly Amec Foster Wheeler) a British firm.

A combination of two sets of magnetic coils creates a field in both vertical and horizontal directions, acting as a magnetic 'cage' to hold and shape the plasma.The heating provided by the plasma current supplies a third of the 100 million°C temperature required to make fusion occur.The tokamak (artist's impression) is the most developed magnetic confinement system and is the basis for the design of many modern fusion reactorsAdditional plasma heating is provided when neutral hydrogen atoms are injected at high speed into the plasma, ionized and trapped by the magnetic field. That may be the simplest approach; but it is for the UK and Europe to decide. 'Reaching 15 million degrees Celcius is yet another indicator of the progress at Tokamak Energy and a further validation of our approach.The latest test takes Tokomak Energy a step closer to its ultimate goal of heating high-energy gas to 100 million degrees centigrade (212 million °F) later this yearAt 100 million degrees centigrade (212 million °F) - seven times hotter than the centre of the sun - the reactor will trigger nuclear fusion, a joining together of atomic nuclei that releases enormous amounts of energy'Our aim is to make fusion energy a commercial reality by 2030.' What is fusion? The potentially world-changing reactor is a technological milestone and offer unlimited, clean nuclear power essentially from seawater. Thank you for visiting nature.com. From theoretical physics to operating two major experiments and carrying out advanced reactor engineering, we lead the world in putting this transformative energy technology on the grid. However, this British firm is … A British nuclear fusion reactor has reached temperatures hotter than the centre of the sun in a test that marks a key step toward limitless clean energy.The Tokomak reactor hit 15 million°C (59 million °F) at a facility in Oxfordshire as part of preparations to supply the UK grid with fusion power by 2030.Researchers at Tokomak Energy are attempting to build an affordable fusion reactor that turns hydrogen into cost-effective green energy.With fusion energy, one tablespoon of liquid hydrogen fuel could generate as much energy as 28 tons of coal with no radioactive waste.The latest test takes Tokomak Energy a step closer to its ultimate goal of heating high-energy gas to 100 million degrees centigrade (212 million °F) later this year.At this temperature - seven times hotter than the centre of the sun - the reactor will trigger nuclear fusion, a joining together of atomic nuclei that releases enormous amounts of energy.A British nuclear fusion reactor has reached temperatures hotter than the centre of the sun in a test that marks a key step toward limitless clean energy. High-frequency currents are also induced in the plasma by external coils.The frequencies are chosen to match regions where the energy absorption is very high.In this way, large amounts of power may be transferred to the plasma.