The STEP prototype powerplant at West Burton will be delivered by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS).
Subject to government approval, UKIFS will lead an Integrated Delivery Team (IDT) to deliver STEP. This public-private alliance model is a huge opportunity for industry. The IDT will need to work with a range of industrial partners in the years ahead — with three key strategic partners across fusion, engineering, and construction, which we call Whole Plant Partners.
STEP’s key fusion partner will be the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). UKAEA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It researches fusion energy and related technologies with the aim of positioning the UK as a leader in sustainable fusion energy.
STEP’s key engineering and construction partners have not yet been appointed. But the procurement process is underway with successful partners due to be announced late 2025 / early 2026.
Current procurement opportunities:
Join us on the mission to fusion
Whole Plant
Partner (WPP)
In June 2023, we hosted our first Whole Plant Partner (WPP) supplier event at the Sheffield United Conference Centre, with 40 organisations and over 170 participants.
Just under a year later, on the 22nd of May 2024, we officially launched the competition for two Whole Plant Partners — one in engineering and one in construction. These partners will work alongside STEP’s fusion partner, UKAEA.
Initiating a procurement programme of this scale is a substantial undertaking. The magnitude of the effort reflects the pivotal progress within the programme, and our vaulting ambition: our industrial model will combine the very best of public and private sectors in an integrated alliance.
Systems Partners and Strategic Suppliers
In the coming years, as the plant design matures, STEP will need to develop expertise in specific technology areas through System Partners and also with a broader strategic supply chain.
We’re open to working with businesses both big and small. Our aim is to be an economic and industrial opportunity for the UK on a significant scale. So delivering STEP will require a balance between specific fusion plant work, and wider collaboration. We want to work with organisations that can demonstrate real value creation in the fusion supply chain.
Details for System Partner opportunities across the broader supply chain are due soon. Please sign up to ensure you are the first to hear.
