TO BE PUBLISHED October 2026
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine next steps for nuclear fusion energy in the UK following publication of the DESNZ’s UK Fusion Strategy 2026. The planned agenda will assess approaches to moving fusion from research towards commercial deployment, including programme delivery, investment, regulation, skills, infrastructure and industrial development.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss implications of the Government’s strategy, alongside the UKAEA Strategy 2026-2030 and further direction from UK Fusion Energy. Attendees will consider ways forward for regulatory, planning and consenting frameworks as fusion development progresses, including the expected draft National Policy Statement for Fusion Energy Generation (EN-8), the potential integration of fusion projects into the NSIP regime, and approaches to supporting the delivery of future facilities and associated infrastructure.
Further discussion will assess financing and commercial pathways for fusion development, including priorities for public investment, revenue models, risk-sharing arrangements and measures to support prototype deployment in the 2030s. Attendees will also consider priorities for strengthening UK industrial capability, supply chains and advanced manufacturing, alongside progress on the STEP programme at West Burton, and the role of UK Fusion Energy in programme coordination and delivery as national fusion systems integrator.
The conference will also examine workforce needs and R&I strategy to support commercialisation. Discussion is expected on skills requirements across engineering, manufacturing and fusion science, collaboration between universities, industry and national laboratories, the development of enabling technologies, and the UK's position within international fusion partnerships and future technology markets.
Overall areas for discussion include:
- strategic priorities:
- implementation of UK Fusion Strategy 2026 and UKAEA Strategy 2026-2030
- aligning research, commercialisation, skills and infrastructure - implications for long-term system integration and international competitiveness
- planning and regulation: development of EN-8 - integration into the NSIP regime - siting, consenting, environmental assessment and planning certainty
- financing: revenue models, risk-sharing mechanisms and investment frameworks - supporting prototype deployment and commercial viability - attracting private and public investment
- STEP delivery: timelines, design development and infrastructure requirements for West Burton - community engagement - the role of UK Fusion Energy
- industrial capability: opportunities for UK supply chains, advanced manufacturing and specialist materials - industrial partnerships supporting deployment - strengthening domestic capability
- innovation and technology: materials development, high-temperature superconducting magnets and digital engineering - enabling technologies supporting commercialisation
- skills and research:
- addressing workforce requirements across fusion science, engineering and manufacturing
- collaboration between universities, industry and national laboratories - strategy for putting in place research infrastructure to support deployment
- international relationships:
- participation in global fusion programmes and partnerships - technology leadership and UK competitive positioning
- development of technologies, expertise and industrial capability with international market potential
