UKAEA and Stellarex Energy Sign Stellarator Fusion Development MOU at UK-Canada Forum

On May 13, 2026, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Stellarex Energy (Toronto, Canada — a Princeton University spinoff) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance stellarator fusion power development. The signing took place at the Second Annual UK-Canada Nuclear Forum at the British High Commission in Ottawa. The MOU covers joint collaboration on plasma physics, high-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology, fuel cycle design, and diagnostic systems. This is Stellarex's second major institutional research partnership, following a 2024 agreement with the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik in Germany. The partnership reinforces growing international interest in stellarators as a complement to the dominant tokamak approach: unlike tokamaks, stellarators use externally shaped magnetic coils rather than plasma current, enabling inherently steady-state operation without plasma disruption risk. The MOU aligns with the UK's expanded National Fusion Energy Strategy (£2.5 billion committed) and underscores UK-Canada collaboration in the global fusion race.