Engaging on Fusion: The IAEA’s 29th Fusion Energy Conference

We’re the regulator of current and future fusion sites in England (alongside the Health and Safety Executive ). And we’re building our capabilities and capacity to meet the challenges of an expanding fusion industry in England.

In October the international fusion community joined together in London for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 29th Fusion Energy Conference.

Our fusion leaders, Amber Bannon , Colette Grundy and Mike Webley represented the Environment Agency at the six day event which had a packed programme of technical presentations and panel sessions.

Hosted by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the event brought together 1300 delegates from over 70 countries.

The IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, opened the conference, announcing the creation of the World Fusion Energy Group and its inaugural meeting in 2024. This new forum will promote collaboration towards commercial fusion energy production and will bring together scientists, regulators, financiers and policy makers.

Andrew Bowie MP, the Minister for Nuclear and Networks, confirmed the UK’s commitment to a fusion future.

Our team heard from scientists who shared new research which has implications for the UK’s fusion developers and us as regulators.

Visit to Culham

During the event Amber Bannon visited the UKAEA headquarters at Culham with regulators from Canada and the USA, Abdul Alwani and Duncan White. They explored the role of robotics in the fusion industry, and its application in high hazard environments. They also saw the mock-up of the JET fusion reactor using for training purposes.

They met with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and his team, providing them with an update on fusion regulation activities in their countries. Amber’s UK update, on behalf of the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive, covered work since 2020 and highlighted ongoing government funded work to build regulatory capacity and capability. Amber highlighted how new regulatory guidance is being developed and that regulators are considering early engagement with fusion developers to de-risk the permitting and consenting application processes.

Fusion regulation

Mike Webley joined a regulatory panel session, alongside Abdul Alwani (CNSC, Canada), Anna Bradford (IAEA Nuclear Safety Division), Richard Broughton (HSE, UK) and Duncan White (US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, USA). Mike and Richard spoke about the fusion regulatory landscape in the UK and work in 2024 to support the growth of the sector. Anna shared learning from the nuclear fission sector to deal with waste issues. All agreed on the importance of public engagement to enable understanding and acceptance of the fusion industry and realities of fusion energy production.

Amber and Colette also joined lunchtime discussion sessions, including the Women in Fusion event, promoting visible leadership to enable change to happen.

Our team valued the opportunities for discussion, networking and learning that the Fusion Energy Conference brought to the UK. They’re now looking forward to joining future events to share how fusion regulation in the UK is developing.

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