McBains will provide a range of services to Tokamak Energy for the construction of a new fusion energy advanced prototype facility at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA’s) Culham Campus.
Tokamak Energy’s compact spherical tokamak, ST80-HTS, will demonstrate multiple technologies required for the delivery of clean, sustainable fusion energy. This includes a complete set of cutting-edge high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets to confine and control the hydrogen fuel, which becomes plasma many times hotter than the sun.
As an already trusted partner to UKAEA, this is McBains’ first fusion power project with Tokamak Energy, which has appointed McBains to deliver site design services through RIBA Stages 1-3 for the new fusion energy facility at the Culham campus in Oxfordshire.
McBains will provide an inter-disciplinary service for Tokamak Energy, comprising architecture, building services engineering, civil and structural engineering, cost management and principal designer services.
The new purpose-built facility will feature a main hall for the Tokamak advanced prototype, alongside assembly halls and various supporting functions such as cryogenics, power systems and laboratories, as well as control rooms, offices, and conference facilities. Build completion is expected in 2026.
Anna Kealey, Project Director at McBains, said:
“McBains is incredibly excited to be involved with this pioneering project and Tokamak Energy’s pursuit of a sustainable and secure commercial energy source.
“Having worked with UKAEA on several projects at their Culham campus, we’re confident that the partnership between Tokamak Energy and UKAEA will be hugely successful and look forward to it bringing the reality of fusion power a step closer.”
