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News

Could Pembrokeshire be home to ‘hugely ambitious’ fusion power plant?

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A LOCATION is needed host a prototype nuclear fusion power plant, which a government-backed programme plans to build by 2040.

The UK government is asking Pembrokeshire communities to put themselves forward as the site of a future fusion power plant.

Communities are being asked to step forward with proposals to house a prototype fusion power plant in a move that could propel them on to the global stage in a world first.

The site does not need to be near existing nuclear power stations but will need 100 hectares of land and a plentiful water supply. Ministers say the project would bring thousands of skilled jobs and be part of its planned “green industrial revolution” to tackle the climate crisis.

The UK programme is called Step – the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production – and communities will have until the end of March 2021 to submit their nominations and will need to demonstrate that their local area has just the right mix of social, commercial and technical conditions to host the new plant – such as adequate land conditions, grid connection and water supply.

Nuclear fusion replicates the intense atomic reactions that power the sun and uses a hydrogen isotope found in seawater as fuel. It cannot produce a runaway chain reaction like conventional nuclear fission, which involves splitting atoms rather than fusing them together. The level of radioactive waste is also far lower. No exclusion zone will be needed around the site, officials said.

However, the technical challenges are enormous and the programme’s leaders acknowledge it is “hugely ambitious”. This is because fuel heated to 10 times the temperature of the sun has to be magnetically levitated to stop it melting the reactor vessel. Scientists and engineers have pursued the dream of limitless and clean fusion energy for more than half a century, but the first power stations remain decades away.

The project has been granted £222m to date by the government.

Communities have until March 2021 to submit their nominations, with the successful site chosen by the end of 2022.

“We want the UK to be a trailblazer in developing fusion energy,” said Alok Sharma, the business and energy secretary. He said communities had an “incredible opportunity to secure their place in the history books” by potentially helping the UK to be the first country in the world to commercialise fusion power.

The UK has the largest working fusion reactor in the world – called Jet – at the Culham Science Centre near Oxford. However, a far larger €20bn (£18bn) fusion reactor called Iter is being assembled in France, backed by the world’s biggest countries. It expects to create its first super-heated plasma by 2025 and reach full power by 2035, with the aim of demonstrating that more energy can be taken out than is put in.

The goal of Step is to show that a smaller and less expensive plant can create fusion power. Key to this is the spherical shape of the chamber that contains the plasma, which is more compact than the doughnut-shaped chamber being used at Iter.

However, this compactness means the Step system must have a much more efficient cooling system. Technology to achieve this is being tested in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (Mast) experiment, also at Culham. But the Culham site is too small to host the Step project.

Prof Ian Chapman, the chief executive of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which is leading Step, said: “Step is about moving from research and development to delivery. It will prove that fusion is not a far-off dream, but a dawning reality.”

Tim Luce, the chief scientist at Iter, said: “It is gratifying to see the UK make a firm commitment to continuing its historic leadership in magnetic fusion development. Step promises lower costs but faces various engineering and physics challenges, such as large stresses in the magnet structure and high heat fluxes to the wall. [But] first plasma in 2040 appears to be a realistic goal, assuming favourable and timely results in the present generation of spherical tokamaks.”

The UK is a participant in Iter due to its membership of Euratom, but it will leave the group after Brexit. However, officials say they are hopeful that the UK can rejoin Iter as an associate country.

The timetable for Step is to have a concept design by 2024, then a detailed engineering design allowing the start of construction in 2032 and operations to begin in 2040.

News

A40 closed after serious crash near Wolfscastle

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AIR AMBULANCE LANDS AT SCENE AS TRAFFIC DISRUPTED

THE A40 between Wolfscastle and Haverfordwest was closed in both directions on Friday afternoon (Apr 11) following a serious road traffic collision.

The crash, which was first reported at 12:10pm, prompted a significant emergency services response, including Dyfed-Powys Police and the Wales Air Ambulance, which was seen landing at the scene shortly after the incident.

AA Roadwatch confirmed that the road was shut in both directions, with slow-moving traffic and congestion reported in the surrounding area for several hours after the collision.

Police urged motorists to avoid the area and to seek alternative routes while emergency crews dealt with the incident.

At the time of writing, no official update has been given on the number of vehicles involved or whether there were any injuries. Dyfed-Powys Police have been approached for comment.

Traffic disruption remains ongoing, with live road maps showing long delays approaching Haverfordwest from the east.

More updates will follow as information becomes available.

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Crime

Police investigate alleged assault at Milford Haven property

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OFFICERS from Dyfed-Powys Police have been maintaining a presence at a property on Marble Hall Road, Milford Haven, as part of an ongoing investigation into an assault.

The Herald understands that the front door of the property has been boarded up with plywood, prompting concern and speculation from local residents.

A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Officers have been undertaking scene preservation in relation to an investigation of assault.”

No further details have been released at this stage, and it is not yet known whether any arrests have been made.

Residents told The Herald they noticed police activity at the address earlier this week, with officers attending the property and cordoning off the area.

The Herald will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

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Business

Haverfordwest opticians celebrate 100 years of long service

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WALES’ LARGEST Specsavers store is celebrating a series of individual long service milestones, with nine team members collectively marking a century of long service in 2025.

At the heart of the celebrations is Andy Britton, ophthalmic director at Specsavers Haverfordwest, who has worked at the company for 20 years.

Since becoming a partner in 2006, Mr Britton has overseen the store’s transformation from a small site with just four test rooms to a state-of-the-art £1.2 million premises at 21 Riverside Quay. The enhanced store now boasts 14 test rooms equipped with cutting edge technology and a significantly larger team, growing from 11 to 45 employees.

Haverfordwest residents benefit from Mr Britton’s clinical expertise – he holds multiple postgraduate diplomas that allow him to prescribe medication directly to customers, helping to ease pressure on local GP surgeries and hospitals. He has also led the introduction of enhanced services, including glaucoma monitoring, ensuring more people can access specialist care closer to home.

Reflecting on his career, Mr Britton says: ‘It’s been a privilege to serve the Haverfordwest community over the last 20 years. I’m proud of the team we’ve built and the progress we’ve made – all with the aim of delivering the best possible care for our customers.’

Mr Britton’s anniversary was celebrated alongside colleagues Elise Evans, Gareth Riley and Carrie Lewis-Jones – each marking 15 years with Specsavers – as well as other team members celebrating 10 and five-year milestones.

Fellow director, Wayne Jones, was among those celebrating five years with the business, after joining the Haverfordwest store in 2020. He was named a finalist for Optometrist of the Year at the Optometry Wales Awards in 2023 and then in 2024, joined forces with Mr Britton as retail director of the store.

Commenting on the milestone, Mr Jones says: ‘Our team’s experience and dedication are what makes Specsavers Haverfordwest so special. Reaching 100 years of individual long service milestones in 2025 is something we’re incredibly proud of. It’s a real testament to the commitment of our colleagues, and we look forward to many more successful years ahead.’

To mark the occasion, the directors hosted an in-store awards ceremony, presenting certificates and bottles of champagne to the nine long-serving team members celebrating.

Specsavers Haverfordwest is open seven days a week. To find out more information about Specsavers in Haverfordwest, request an appointment or browse the online store, visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/haverfordwest.

Additionally, to make eye health accessible to all, the store offers a Home Visits service for those unable to leave their homes unaccompanied due to disability or illness.

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