US, UK sign agreement to accelerate fusion power plant deployments

The US and UK signed a partnership agreement on June 25 to strengthen cooperation on fusion as both countries seek to accelerate the deployment of the first series of commercial fusion power plants to the grid.

The US Energy Department's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Kingdom's Atomic Energy Authority research lab, allowing the two governments to focus on advancing the physics and technology basis for future fusion power plants.

"This strategic partnership allows us to unite our capabilities and deliver on our shared mission of bringing fusion from the lab to the grid," said Berzak Hopkins, PPPL's associate lab director for strategy and partnerships, as well as the deputy chief research officer. "It is through global partnerships like this that PPPL amplifies its impact and pushes the boundaries of fusion science."

The MOU would allow for participation in joint development projects and the sharing of key technical data "to support both nations' ambitions to deliver sustainable and commercial fusion energy," according to a joint US-UK news release.

The agreement builds on King Charles' April 28 address to a joint session of Congress, which underscored the need for continued British and American cooperation on AI and nuclear fusion, and for those partnerships to "lead the world," according to the statement.

Both the DOE and the UK government released fusion energy road maps in 2026 to guide the technical achievements needed to accelerate the deployment of commercial fusion power.

The UK road map focuses on the UKAEA's efforts, funded by the UK Department of Energy Security and Net-Zero, to deliver a commercial fusion machine in the next 14 years.

STEP program

The British research lab established UK Fusion Energy as a subsidiary company to deliver a spherical tokamak fusion power plant prototype, called STEP, at West Burton in Nottinghamshire. The company will integrate fusion technology in partnership with industry, delivering a complete fusion product by 2040, according to the UK road map released in March.

The US strategy lays out a more aggressive timeline for commercializing fusion energy by the 2030s, leveraging private-sector investment with specific companies planning multiple fusion power plant deployments between 2028 and the early 2030s.

The UKAEA subsidiary is moving rapidly to establish, with the private sector, a construction and fusion integration team, which should be assembled by October 2026, according to the UK strategy document. By March 2029, UK Fusion Energy will have submitted the development consent order for the STEP plant, paving the way for the government's permit approval to commence construction of the main plant and other key activities.

In contrast, US-based Helion Energy will mark its one-year anniversary since starting construction of its Orion fusion power plant complex in Malaga, Washington, on July 30. On June 16, the company received both a Radioactive Materials License and Radioactive Air Emissions License from the state, affirming that the plant is ready to operate once completed.

"Helion continues to build Orion in Malaga, with the assembly and office building construction complete," the company said in a statement. "Now, the company can proceed with work on the generator building, for which initial earthwork began in the spring of 2026."

Forward movement

The forward movement in the US and UK has created openings for collaboration and the creation of American fusion subsidiaries based in Britain ahead of the new MOU.

TAE Energies, a California-based fusion company involved in a $6 billion merger deal with President Donald Trump's media company, entered into a joint venture with UKAEA on May 14, creating TAE Beam UK. The new subsidiary would focus on commercializing particle accelerator technology for fusion and non-fusion applications.

TAE Beam UK's technical program would focus on neutral beams, "a critically enabling particle accelerator technology to heat and sustain fusion reactions for electricity generation," TAE said in a statement. The company's expertise in using beams to sustain fusion reactions "has resulted in a streamlined power plant design that is smaller, more efficient and more cost-effective than other fusion energy concepts."

TAE is in the process of selecting a site for its first power plant in the United States. Upon completion of the merger with Trump Media and Technology, the combined company plans to begin construction of its first 50-MW plant by the end of 2026, with completion expected in the early 2030s. Future fusion plants would be planned at 350 MW to 500 MW.

"Our siting process for our first utility-scale fusion power plant is still ongoing," a TAE spokesperson told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. "Our focus is on identifying the communities where we can establish a strong long-term presence, create jobs, deploy cutting-edge technology and contribute meaningfully to those local communities."

Group of 20

The US will host the Group of 20 summit in Miami in December 2026. Fusion power and small modular reactors are expected to be core focuses.

The three themes of the summit are: reducing regulation; unlocking reliable, affordable and secure energy supply chains; and pioneering technology innovation, said Jarrod Agen, executive director of the White House's National Energy Dominance Council, at an event held in January at the UK embassy in Washington, DC.

Agen said the summit would include talks on modernizing regulations across countries to better incorporate newer nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors, advanced reactors and even fusion power reactors.

He described harmonizing regulations among the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other G20 nuclear power regulators to encourage greater innovation and technology sharing among nations.

Westinghouse officials were present at the embassy gathering, along with representatives of X-Energy, Last Energy, Rolls-Royce and GE Vernova. Fusion firms TAE Technologies and Tokamak Energy were also present, among others.