THE SEARCH to find a suitable home for a prototype nuclear fusion reactor continues as Copeland prepares to welcome inspectors from the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Moorside, a site neighbouring Sellafield is one of five sites in the UK in the running for the UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant.

The reactor is a UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) programme.

And the UKAEA are running the siting competition. The latest stage of the process will see experts visit Copeland next week to inspect the proposed site.

The successful STEP site will be selected by the Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng MP.

Copeland Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Nuclear and Corporate Services said: "We're now at that position of the final hurdle. We're expecting a decision this year.

"They're planning a visit up here at the end of the week on the 27th and they'll be having a tour of the Moorside site.

"They'll be looking around the local area. They'll be meeting with representatives of Cumbria LEP and myself."

A virtual event takes place on January 31, giving the Cumbrian public an opportunity to have their say on the plans.

Councillor Moore welcomed the announcement of a stakeholder event.

"It's really important that people take the opportunity to log on to that event. We know it's a project that has quite a lot of local support. What we need now is that local support coming forward."

Cllr Moore hopes that the selection team will see that Copeland is a nuclear savvy area with the skills and understanding already in place to accommodate the development.

"We've been here doing first-of-a-kinds since Sellafield site first started, previously Windscale.

"The LEP are seeing this as an even bigger push as the only site that's come forward in the North West. In our view its right with the Levelling-Up agenda and it will be the only site that's going forward on wholly NDA land.

"We're all out and we'd really welcome that support of the local community."

Although the reactor is a prototype, winning the chance to home it in Copeland would but the borough at the cutting-edge of the nuclear industry.

It would see Moorside demonstrating nuclear fusion as a viable option for clean energy generation.

Cllr Moore said: "Those that have followed nuclear all their lives said fusion was at least 20 to 30 years away. This is the first mood change for a long time that says 'no it's not that far away."