Jeff Bezos-backed General Fusion to open plant in the UK

Canada's General Fusion - a company financially backed by outgoing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos - is set to build a large-scale nuclear fusion plant in Oxfordshire, England.

The project comes as part of a joint venture between the Canadian company and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), who also headed the STEP project for the UK's first fusion power plant, which has seen a number of local authorities submit their bids for potential spots.

Read more: Dounreay site suggested for UK's first fusion plant

The plant will be located just outside the town of Culham and will aim to be operational by 2025. Construction is expected to begin some time in 2022.

It is designed to be a proof-of-concept, allowing the company to test its Magnetised Target Fusion (MTF) technology before going on to build a commercial reactor.

While commercial details have yet to be disclosed, it is expected to cost around $400 million.

Proper use of nuclear fusion is currently a key technology in helping generate greener energy, particularly in comparison to other forms of nuclear generation.

The BBC reports that Bezos has been a major investor in General Fusion for over a decade.

The company supposedly also raised as much as $100 million during its last round of funding.

Amanda Solloway, the UK's science minister, said: “This new plant by General Fusion is a huge boost for our plans to develop a fusion industry in the UK, and I’m thrilled that Culham will be home to such a cutting-edge and potentially transformative project.

"Fusion energy has great potential as a source of limitless, low-carbon energy, and today’s announcement is a clear vote of confidence in the region and the UK’s status as a global science superpower.”

Nuclear fusion is the complete opposite of nuclear fission, and is considered far more environmentally friendly and less prone to accidents than its traditional counterpart. While fission relies on reactors generating power by splitting atoms, fusion involves fusing two atoms to create a heavier one.

Read more: UK scouts for first nuclear fusion site

The project is the culmination of three decades of research and development, and the company claims the plant will prosper under the more robust nuclear supply chains owing to the UKAEA's expertise, according to General Fusion's CEO Christofer Mowry.

“By locating at this campus, General Fusion expands our market presence beyond North America into Europe, broadening our global network of government, institutional, and industrial partners. This is incredibly exciting news for not only General Fusion, but also the global effort to develop practical fusion energy," he added.

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