Global decisions and local economic impacts—the nuclear fusion programme and the JET project in Oxfordshire

Abstract

Harnessing the power of nuclear fusion could be one of the best options for long‐term energy supply. However, the research process is daunting and the associated science and technology are very expensive. As a result, nuclear fusion research programmes are international, but although the resultant projects reflect global concerns, they have direct and indirect economic impacts on particular localities. This article focuses on the impact of global decisions on the county of Oxfordshire in the UK. The EURATOM JET Project has been located in the county for almost 20 years, and the Project has made significant contributions to the local economy. But all projects have a life cycle, and eventually reach a close down stage. This is the threat now facing JET and its host locality of Culham in Oxfordshire. Whilst the impacts of the construction and operation of a new project must now be considered in decision‐making in the European Union, under Environmental Impact Assessment legislation, the impacts of closure are less likely to be considered. This article outlines the various local economic impacts with and without the Project. Methods of analysis are discussed, as are the factors which condition the impacts, positive and negative, of such a ‘high tech’ international project.