UK races to build world’s 1st prototype nuclear fusion power reactor – STEP will aim to demonstrate net energy from fusion and pave the way for the commercialization of fusion energy.

From the article

>STEP is [scheduled](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/royal-society-confirms-uk-fusion-plant-designs-are-world-leading#:~:text=STEP%20() to be built at the former coal-fired power station site of West Burton, Nottinghamshire. Ground and environment surveys are underway for the project and first operation is expected to begin in early 2040s.

>The program aims for the formation of an integrated delivery organization based on a public-private partnership model that will deliver the prototype [plant](https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/nuclear-fusion-clean-energy). This includes designing for cost, and at pace.

“Expected to begin operation in 2040’s”. Tell that to ITER, which was originally expected for first plasma in 2020 and full operation in 2024. Now first plasma operation is expected in 2035, so 15 years behind schedule and it’s already looking obsolete. Honestly, a criminal waste of money, the only purpose behind something like this is to line the pockets of favoured companies.

Put billions of dollars this will cost to build into fusion research (which is massively underfunded) to develop a viable reactor geometry that can be tested at smaller scale. If you can hit Q of 2-3 at smaller scale, you may have a viable reactor design, you need Q>5 to have viable power production. Building a large reactor and hoping that large scale will magically improve Q enough for net power is a fool’s errand.