Burges Salmon has been appointed as the principal legal provider to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) legal services panel, for four years from 2020 to 2024, to support its mission to research and develop fusion energy and associated technologies. This follows significant growth in UKAEA’s activities in recent years and an increased need for expert legal advice across a number of programmes.

Fusion is the process that powers the sun and UKAEA is working to create and harness fusion energy here on earth to provide carbon-free, safe and abundant electricity. Replicating the processes that power the sun could provide limitless energy with minimal environmental impact for generations to come.

UKAEA is engaged in a wide range of fusion research programmes, including the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), an ambitious programme to design and build a prototype power plant that demonstrates the commercial viability of fusion, as well as a significant campus development programme called Fusion Foundations. Burges Salmon will be providing advice across these two programmes and others in the UKAEA portfolio.

Ian Slater

Burges Salmon’s head of Nuclear Ian Salter says: “We are delighted to be supporting UKAEA on their important mission to continue to develop fusion energy. The unique STEP programme raises a series of first-of-a-kind legal issues in the UK and we are looking forward to working with the UKAEA team as the project moves forward.”

Tris Denton, STEP’s Head of Commercial and Programme Development, adds: “It’s great to be working with Burges Salmon on our exciting STEP programme. Their expert advice will be invaluable to us as we develop our plans to demonstrate the commercial viability of fusion in the decades ahead.