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OXFORD, Friday 17th, January 2025 – The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)’s £200 million Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation (LIBRTI) programme has announced a series of significant steps to advance fusion energy development.
The announcement aligns with the UK’s Department of Energy and Net Zero’s recent support for the nation’s fusion programme and budget plans for 2025/2026.
Part of the broader Fusion Futures initiative, LIBRTI focuses on pioneering fusion fuel advancements and stimulating general industry capacity through international collaboration.
Over its four-year span, the programme aims to demonstrate controlled tritium breeding, a critical step for future fusion power plants.
As part of this effort, UKAEA intends to purchase a neutron source which will form the backbone of a first-of-a-kind testbed facility to be built at Culham Campus in Oxfordshire.
UKAEA will also provide £9 million funding for 12 small-scale tritium breeding and digital simulation experiments.
Future fusion power plants will rely on two hydrogen isotopes – deuterium and tritium – to produce energy. Deuterium can be readily extracted from seawater. Tritium, however, is scarce in supply, necessitating the development of methods to produce it sustainably.
To address this challenge, tritium must be produced (or ‘bred’) in a lithium-containing blanket that surrounds the fusion reaction. This ‘breeder blanket’ will perform several tasks:
By ensuring a continuous supply of tritium for the fusion machine’s operations, the breeder blanket enables a self-sustaining fuel cycle.
SHINE Technologies, USA, is expected to deliver a 14 mega electron volt (MeV) deuterium-tritium fusion system to provide the LIBRTI neutron source in 2027.
John Norton, LIBRTI Director at UKAEA, explains, “The neutron source selected shall provide neutrons of the same energy as those emitted from a fusion machine, enabling LIBRTI to experiment with a wide range of materials and engineering configurations to shape and advance the breeding models required for next step blanket designs.”
Greg Piefer, CEO of SHINE Technologies, said, “Our partnership with UKAEA's LIBRTI program is a key milestone for fusion energy. Today, our systems are already achieving up to 50 trillion fusion reactions per second, which makes them the world’s brightest steady-state deuterium-tritium neutron sources. These fusion spectrum neutrons are essential to validate tritium breeding materials critical for scalable fusion energy systems. We’re excited to work with UKAEA to develop next-generation fusion solutions to help pave the way to clean, abundant energy.”
Each of the 12 experimental and digital projects is expected to run to March 2026.
Outcomes are expected to include new tritium transport models, the development of novel breeder materials and diagnostics, and digital platforms for the testbed facility.
A comprehensive digital strategy for the programme has been developed. The resultant digital platform includes a Building Information Management (BIM) System that will work in tandem with a multi-physics simulation model.
This digital platform will enable the programme to replicate performance and ensure accurate modelling and optimisation for future designs of tritium breeder blanket systems.
Amanda Quadling, Executive Director for Fusion Fundamental Research and Materials Science at UKAEA, and Senior Responsible Owner for LIBRTI, concluded: “We aim to move from a science experiment to providing the supply chain with the confidence needed to support future fusion power plants. The engineering scale experimental results combined with a robust digital platform offer powerful ways to design and substantiate future breeder systems for industrial use.”
To find out more about LIBRTI at UKAEA, visit: https://ccfe.ukaea.uk/programmes/fusion-futures/librti/
About the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
UKAEA is the national organisation responsible for the research and delivery of sustainable fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
UKAEA runs the fusion machine MAST-Upgrade (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak)and is delivering the transition of JET from plasma operations to repurposing and decommissioning. The insights gained from this process will contribute tothe advancement of sustainable future fusion power plants.
STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is a major technology and infrastructure programme that will demonstrate net energy from fusion, fuel self-sufficiency and a route to plant maintenance. UKAEA is STEP’s fusion partner and will work alongside STEP’s industry partners – one in engineering and one in construction – with the following short-list announced here.
The STEP programme is being delivered by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) a wholly owned subsidiary of UKAEA Group. UKIFS will lead STEP’s integrated delivery team to design and build the prototype plant at West Burton site in Nottinghamshire, targeting first operations in 2040.
UKAEA is now engaging in Fusion Futures, a programme that aims to foster world-leading innovation whilst stimulating general industry capacity through international collaboration and the development of future fusion power plants.
UKAEA also undertakes cutting-edge work with research organisations and the industrial supply chain in a wide spectrum of areas, including robotics and materials.
More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea.
Social Media: @UKAEAofficial
About SHINE Technologies
Headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin, SHINE Technologies stands as an industry leader in next-generation fusion, deploying innovative fusion and fusion-based technology that seamlessly combines safety, cost-efficiency, and environmental responsibility.
Distinguished by its proprietary medical isotope production processes, SHINE is at the forefront of creating non-carrier-added lutetium-177—a vital component in cutting-edge medical treatments. Anticipating further advancements, the company's forward-looking vision includes the creation of molybdenum-99, a diagnostic tool that plays a pivotal role in medical procedures aimed at detecting heart disease and cancer.
SHINE's commitment to innovation extends beyond the realms of industry and healthcare. Drawing on its fusion-technology expertise, the company has set its sights on addressing one of energy's most complex challenges—nuclear waste recycling. With a comprehensive and visionary approach, SHINE is steadfastly driving advancements across multiple sectors, leaving an indelible mark on the domains of technology, healthcare, and sustainable energy solutions.
Press Contact: press@shinefusion.com
