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Nuclear Fusion

All current nuclear power stations use the process of nuclear fission to produce heat. An alternative method of generating energy from atoms is to use nuclear fusion, although at present we are a long way from being able to use nuclear fusion for commercial power generation. Because of its long term potential, there is a major international collaboration to research and then develop a nuclear fusion reactor.

The UK participates in this research through our membership of a European framework programme of Research and Development. The UKAEA's fusion research laboratory at Culham, near Oxford, is the focus of a leading international fusion research programme.