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Written question asked by Lord Mendelsohn (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 October 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 31 October 2017. It was answered by Lord Prior of Brampton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 October 2017 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Joint European Torus

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to seek to maintain the activities of, and ensure completion of ongoing experiments at, the Joint European Torus (JET) nuclear fusion facility at Culham in Oxfordshire after the end of the current contract between the European Commission and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in 2018.

Answer

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK continues to lead the world in fusion research[1]. We have taken action to secure the future of the Joint European Torus (JET) facility by guaranteeing the UK’s share of JET costs until the end of 2020, and are working closely with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to engage positively with EU partners. The relevant Written Ministerial Statement on the JET underwrite can be found here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-06-27/HCWS13/ .

[1] A 2016 independent review by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) found the UK fusion research programme to be ‘of world-class quality, in facilities, people and impact’.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2133
Session
2017-19
Attachment
Written Ministerial Statement
Subjects
Joint European torus
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk