Fusion: from science to engineering

For decades, fusion energy has been a physics problem. That phase is coming to an end. ITER is in advanced assembly, STEP is moving from concept to design, and private developers – Commonwealth Fusion, Tokamak Energy, Helion and others – are now ordering long-lead equipment for next-generation plants.

The hard question has shifted. The industry no longer needs to prove fusion can work. It needs to build the engineering capability to license, design, construct, integrate and operate it at scale.

This perspective paper from Ekium UK examines the engineering challenges the fusion sector must address over the next decade, drawing on direct experience from ITER’s Tokamak Building complex. It covers the five disciplines that must converge on every fusion programme – civil and structural, electrical, I&C, fire safety and tritium – and identifies what the next generation of fusion clients should be asking of their engineering partners.

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