UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Howard Wilson as Director of Science and Technology, helping to lead STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), a pioneering programme to deliver the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant.
An internationally renowned expert in fusion science, Howard brings extensive experience and expertise to the role and will become the first UKIFS Executive Committee member based at West Burton in Nottinghamshire, a former coal-fired power station site where the prototype plant will be built.
Over the past 18 months, Howard has been the Fusion Pilot Plant Research & Development Lead at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States; prior to this he was based at the University of York where he founded the York Plasma Institute and the Fusion Centre for Doctoral Training.
As Director of Science and Technology, Howard will oversee development of the plasma solution for STEP and will lead on the requirements for technology demonstration, both physical and digital, ensuring that modelling, simulation and testing tackles the specific challenges refined through the evolving whole plant design. He will work together with Chris Waldon (Chief Engineer) and Debbie Kempton (Director of Engineering Programme) in a triumvirate that will plan and ensure viable technologies, in an integrated plant design, that is developed and delivered in a robust way.
Paul Methven, CEO of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions and Senior Responsible Owner for STEP, said: “As we embark on the second phase of the programme, Howard will be key in leading the development of critical technologies for STEP, supporting the development of the fully integrated plant design. His impressive track record of fusion research and delivery will help to deliver the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant alongside the development of a fusion industry.”
The appointment marks a return to the STEP programme for Howard – he became the first Programme Director for STEP from 2019 to 2020 following a secondment to the UK Atomic Energy Authority as Research Director in 2017.
Howard has served on numerous international programme reviews and committees, including the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), and chaired the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) in Pedestal and Edge Physics in support of ITER from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of EUROfusion’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) (2022-2023) and currently serves on the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee.
STEP is the UK’s flagship fusion programme that will demonstrate both a technical and industrial pathway towards commercial realisation, supporting clean, safe, and sustainable energy over the long term.
UKIFS is a wholly owned subsidiary of UK Atomic Energy Authority Group and will be responsible for the delivery of STEP from later this year. The programme aims to create future opportunities for suppliers ranging from whole plant integrators to critical system manufacturers that can design and deliver future plants worldwide in addition to benefiting the communities that surround West Burton.
Fusion can be thought of as the opposite of fission – combining lighter atoms rather than splitting heavier ones. It is based on the same processes that power the sun and stars and has potential to provide safe, sustainable and low-carbon energy for generations to come.
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