Commonwealth Fusion Systems Selected to Support Key Technology for United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's STEP Program

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) announced that the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has selected CFS to support work on the magnetic confinement system for the UKAEA's Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP). CFS was chosen in a competitive tender process based on its expertise in designing and building high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.

"This award demonstrates global recognition from one of the world's leading fusion authorities that CFS is a leader in designing and building HTS magnets," said CFS CEO Bob Mumgaard. "These magnets represent groundbreaking technology for commercial fusion systems but could also be utilized to revolutionize an array of applications."

"The path to commercially viable fusion energy is untrodden. We are spawning an entirely new global industry," said Paul Methven, Director of STEP. "We believe superconducting magnets are a key part of putting fusion electricity on the grid, both economically and reliably."

CFS was selected as the winning bidder for three separate contract lots related to the analysis and design of STEP's magnetic confinement system: magnet design development, magnet validation testing, and magnet conductor specification. CFS in collaboration with MIT demonstrated a record-breaking 20 tesla HTS magnet in September of 2021.

The announcement follows the commencement of a separate five-year collaborative agreement between CFS and UKAEA to support the development of fusion energy and related technologies.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. The mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has raised more than $2 billion in funding since it was founded in 2018 and assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world's leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change.

More information: http://cfs.energy/. Social Media: @cfs_energy

UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) carries out fusion energy research on behalf of the UK Government. We believe fusion will be part of the world's future energy mix, and achieving this involves working at the forefront of science, engineering, and technology.

We oversee the UK's fusion programme, headed by the MAST Upgrade (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) experiment. We also host the world's largest fusion research facility, JET (Joint European Torus), operated for scientists from around Europe. 

More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea. Social Media: @UKAEAofficial 

Contact: Kristen Cullen
kristen@cfs.energy

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