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UK appoints ILIOS consortium as construction partner for STEP Fusion at West Burton, £200 million contract
UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (renamed UK Fusion Energy) appointed ILIOS—a consortium led by Kier and Nuvia, with AECOM, AL_A Architects and Turner & Townsend—as construction partner for the first three-year phase of STEP, the UK's prototype fusion power plant at West Burton. The £200 million contract covers design, early enabling works and site preparation for the facility aimed at operation around 2040.
- ILIOS will manage design, early site enabling works, civil engineering and infrastructure as principal design-build contractor during the three-year initial phase.
- Peak construction is expected to support up to 8,000 onsite jobs for local workers and apprentices when full construction begins in the early 2030s.
- The appointment marks transition from concept design to detailed engineering design and early site preparation phase of the STEP programme.
- Full construction is targeted to begin in the early 2030s with the prototype plant operational around 2040.