Oxfordshire: Fusion power specialist to increase space at Milton Park

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TBM Team

MEPC has signed Tokamak Energy for a 46,000 sq ft office and research headquarters at Milton Park, Oxfordshire, increasing its occupancy at the park by 30,000 sq ft.

Tokamak is expanding its base at the park as it presses on with plans to become the first company in the world to deliver industrial scale power from fusion.

Tokamak Energy, which was established in 2010 and has been an occupier at Milton Park since 2013, has taken the whole of 173 Brook Drive, a 46,000 sq ft hi-tech research and office building, on a 15-year lease. The company is undertaking an extensive fit-out of the premises.

Tokamak Energy, which has a mission to accelerate the development of fusion energy and to deliver power at industrial scale by 2025, is upgrading its latest-generation compact spherical tokamak, which it intends to be the first device in the world to demonstrate the commercial potential of fusion power. The device, known as the ST40, aims to produce plasma temperature of 100 million degrees within the next two years. This is the temperature needed for controlled fusion power and is seven times hotter than the centre of the sun.

Philip Campbell, commercial director for Milton Park at MEPC, said: “We are pleased to see Tokamak Energy expanding at Milton Park, by almost fourfold, as it continues on its exciting and world-leading research. This is precisely the kind of business which complements the cutting-edge science and technology occupiers who stay and grow at Milton Park, and contributes to the thriving sciences cluster at the park and within the wider region. We look forward to seeing further developments from Tokamak Energy in the years to come as it successfully meets its targets to deliver clean and abundant fusion power.”

Dr David Kingham, one of the founders of Tokamak Energy, said: “This rapid expansion at Milton Park marks another key step towards our goal of commercially viable fusion power. Tokamak Energy is an agile business tacking a huge challenge for the world, but solidly based on world leading expertise in fusion and in superconducting magnets in Oxfordshire. Our agility and novel approach has been further helped by the nurturing and accommodating community that MEPC has created at Milton Park. Working alongside likeminded businesses in a flexible and forward-looking environment has been a key component in our success to date.”

Source: CoStar

TBM Team