Walter Finch
SPANISH construction heavyweight Ferrovial has emerged as a frontrunner in the race to build Britain’s groundbreaking €20 billion nuclear fusion plant in Nottingham.
The infrastructure giant’s UK subsidiary has secured a place among three final consortiums bidding for what is being hailed as one of Europe’s most ambitious energy projects of the decade.
The revolutionary fusion facility, scheduled to have a prototype completed by 2030, aims to address Britain’s growing energy demands amid increasing pressure from decarbonisation targets and surging data centre power requirements.
Known as STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), it is due to be built on the site of the soon-to-be-demolished West Burton coal-fired power plant near Retford and come online around 2040.
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The fusion reactions produced by STEP will mimic the processes that power the sun, fusing together light atomic nuclei to release large amounts of energy.
The winner of the bid will face significant technical challenges, including achieving net energy production, fuel self-sufficiency, and developing viable plant maintenance methods given that the technology is still in its infancy.
The tender for such a significant project comes at a significant time for Ferrovial, which has recently scaled back its UK presence following Brexit.
The company made headlines just weeks ago by selling most of its stake in Heathrow Airport for approximately €2 billion, retaining just over 5% ownership.
Despite these divestments, the Spanish firm continues to maintain a strong foothold in UK construction, notably participating in the country’s second high-speed rail project.
Ferrovial’s consortium, which includes British partner Mace Consult, will compete against two UK-led groups for the prestigious contract.
British construction firm Balfour Beatty heads the Innovus consortium, partnering with French company Vinci, while Kier Infrastructure leads the third group, Ilios, alongside BAM Nuttall.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority is expected to announce the winning bid either late this year or early 2026, following detailed negotiations with all three consortiums.
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The successful group must demonstrate exceptional standards in cost efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
The fusion plant represents a key component of Britain’s future energy strategy, promising to revolutionise power generation through nuclear fusion technology.
The project’s €20 billion total valuation includes not only construction costs but also operational aspects of the facility.
Each shortlisted consortium will now enter detailed negotiations with the contractor and work alongside two separately appointed design groups to refine their proposals before submitting final bids.
