Excitement growing in Gainsborough about what new energy plant could mean for the town

The site of a decommissioned power station that ran on coal is turning its attention to something much grander – forcing atoms together in a previously impossible process known as nuclear fusion.

If successful, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production – or STEP for short – would generate vast amounts of energy which doesn’t harm the planet.

While the technology is still decades away, excitement is growing in Gainsborough about what the prototype energy plant could mean for the town.

One of the area’s councillors says it’s a “unique position” to benefit from the 1,500 highly skilled jobs which are likely to be created.

STEP says they don’t have a figure for exactly how many would be based in Gainsborough – roughly a 10-minute commute away – but believe there will be significant opportunities across the entire region.

And that’s without the 8,000 people who will be employed during the peak construction phase.

Coun Jeanette McGhee, who represents part of the town on West Lindsey District Council, said: “This is about more than one development.

“It is an opportunity to attract investment, create high-quality jobs, support our town centre and give local people access to long-term careers.

“As the closest town to the STEP Fusion site, we are well placed to play a key role in supporting one of the UK’s most significant clean-energy projects.

“The current administration is actively working with officers and stakeholders to maximise all of this potential, and I have real confidence that the regeneration that has already been delivered in Gainsborough will continue given the potential benefits.”

West Lindsey District Council estimates this will be worth £100million per year to the local economy across the next 40 years, and this unlikely investment couldn’t have come at a better time.

Gainsborough’s South West ward – from where you can see the cooling towers across the River Trent – is ranked as one of the most deprived in the country.

The dream is that having STEP on the doorstep will mean an influx of good jobs, and the benefits that come with them.

Talented young people wouldn’t need to leave home to find careers in construction, engineering, science or technology, while well-paid professionals could relocate to the area.

Everyone from local businesses in STEP’s supply chain to town centre cafes and restaurants could see more customers.

Coun McGhee said: “The growth associated with STEP Fusion could strengthen the case for better roads, transport links and digital infrastructure.

“Demand for housing and local services could help bring forward further investment in our communities.

“This could also promote further rounds of town centre regeneration.”

Looking to the future, STEP also anticipates a ‘Trent Supercluster’ of clean energy and advanced technology businesses created at the former power stations at Cottam, Marnham and West Burton.

The days are long gone when Gainsborough was an industrial powerhouse, with one of the largest ironworks in Europe.

But if all goes well, it will have a front row seat to the technology of the future.