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Kyoto Fusioneering signs JV agreement with UKAEA on tritium fuel cycle

Japanese engineering firm and UK national lab co-develop tritium handling for STEP and beyond.

KYOTO — May 27, 2026·By Marcus Holloway

Kyoto Fusioneering and the UK Atomic Energy Authority signed a joint-venture agreement to co-develop tritium fuel-cycle technology for the STEP programme and for third-party customers. The JV will operate from UKAEA's Culham Science Centre, with engineering staff from both organizations.

Tritium handling is broadly recognized as the bottleneck constraint for any near-term D-T pilot plant. Civilian tritium inventories sit at roughly 25 kilograms globally and grow at a few kilograms per year — a fraction of the rate any commercial fleet would require.

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