U.K. Energy Bureau Doesn’t Know Input Power for Planned Reactor
Artistic rendering of proposed Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) “100 MW electric” fusion reactor.
Oct. 19, 2022
The U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has claimed a net electrical output for a planned fusion reactor but there is no evidence that BEIS knows the planned input power.
This is the basic calculation for any energy production system: Output power rate minus input power rate equals net power rate.
The chief press officer for BEIS is Safi O’Shea, but the person who responded to our emails refused to give a name. Here is the e-mail conversation between Steven B. Krivit and the BEIS news desk.
Krivit: “What is the rate of electrical power that the STEP reactor is designed to put onto the grid?”
BEIS News Desk: “STEP is a prototype, fully integrated?fusion energy plant capable of supplying electricity to the grid. It will demonstrate the capability to generate 100 MW of electricity and provide the pathway to commercial plants for the future.”
Krivit: “What is the rate of electrical power that the STEP reactor is designed to draw from the grid?”
BEIS News Desk: “We are currently in the concept design phase of the STEP programme, so it’s too early to be completely sure of power needs.”
Without knowledge of the input power rate, BEIS cannot accurately claim that STEP will demonstrate the capability to generate 100 MW of electricity.
Related:
Head of U.K. Fusion Walks Back Claims For Planned $22 Billion Reactor (Oct. 22, 2022)
False Fusion Claims by Ian Chapman, Head of U.K. Fusion (Nov. 7, 2020)
UK plans first nuclear fusion power plant (Feb. 21, 2010)
