Highland councillors are looking to submit a bid for the decommissioned Dounreay site in Caithness, Scotland, as their suggestion for the UK's first nuclear fusion power plant.
The current site of the Dounreay Fast Reactor. Credit: Auz / Flickr
The bid comes as part of a competition for local authorities to suggest potential candidates for the location of what is set to be the UK's, and potentially the world's, first prototype commercial reactor.
Read more: Cumbria's Moorside narrowed down for UK's first nuclear fusion site
This competition comes as part of the STEP project - short for Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production - which has been given a £222 million (€251 million) government stimulus to be followed by a multi-billion pound construction investment.
It is being hosted by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) as part of the British government's plan to decarbonise its energy sector.
Nuclear fusion has the potential to generate highly efficient clean energy, but currently only exists in the form of experimental reactors.
Other sites up for consideration are the Moorside site in Cumbria, Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway and Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire.
Dounreay was the UK's primary site for fast nuclear reactor development between 1955 and 1994.
The site is currently in the process of being decommissioned and the council hopes hosting the site here could help protect the jobs currently located at the site while also allowing for the creation of new roles at the plant.
Highland Councillors are set to submit the appeal to the UKAEA at their next meeting.
The Dounreay Stakeholder Group has described "overwhelming support" for the idea of the UK's first fusion plant coming to Caithness.
An artists' rendition of the completed STEP fusion plant. Credit: UKAEA
A report prepared for the meeting mentions the project offered potential for "significant long-term economic benefits."
It added: “Not only would the attraction of such a significant investment - funding of £222m has been identified for the concept design stage alone - be a major boost to the north's economy, but it could also lead to significant supply chain, innovation and educational opportunities for generations to come.”
The John O'Groats Journal reports that councillors support the move owing to the unique relationship the locals have with the industry, which offers a compelling case for the reactor to be built there.
Councillor Struan Mackie told the newspaper: "Over the last number of weeks Dounreay Stakeholder Group members have been canvassed on the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s fusion proposals and it is clear that there is overwhelming support for the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership submission to the UK government."
Read more: UK scouts for first nuclear fusion site
Potential sites for development are being submitted on a county level.
Once the selection process is complete, construction on the project is set to commence in 2024 and the plant is slated to hit peak operations by 2040.
At its peak, it stands to potentially add 100MW to the British power grid and may be essential in energy generation in the latter half of the century.
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