Mauro Brena from Eni and Katharine Dunn
knowledge exchange, including site visits to ENI’s facilities to learn from their past infrastructure projects. It’s a people-driven partnership that’s elevating how we approach fusion infrastructure—bringing fresh perspectives and accelerating progress.
The project is set to begin commissioning in 2028 and aims to be fully operational by the end of 2030. There’s a long road ahead, but with UKAEA and Eni working together, we’re confident in reaching this ambitious goal.
Are there future projects you’re looking forward to working on?
My current focus is fully on delivering the H3AT facility and CHIMERA. These are large, long-term projects with huge potential. CHIMERA, for example, is a testing facility being built at the Fusion Technology Facility in Rotherham. Its goal is to replicate fusion-like conditions—such as high pressure, temperature, and magnetic fields—to test components for fusion power plants.
CHIMERA is not a simulation; it will be a real, physical facility where components can be validated before deployment in full-scale fusion machines. The project is currently mid-delivery and once operational, it will be a key tool in ensuring components are reliable and safe for future fusion applications.
What excites you most about your work at UKAEA?
It’s incredibly motivating to work on projects that are pushing boundaries and helping solve global energy challenges. Fusion energy has the potential to transform the way we power our world, and being part of that journey is very special. The UKAEA-Eni partnership in particular stands out—it’s about more than just infrastructure; it’s about people, skills, and collaboration coming together to realise a shared vision for clean, limitless energy.
Can you tell us a bit about your role at UKAEA?
I’ve been at UKAEA for just over a year now, working as a Portfolio Manager on major infrastructure projects—specifically focused on fusion technologies and the tritium fuel cycle. Right now, I’m involved in delivering two large-scale projects: CHIMERA, and the H3AT Tritium Loop Facility. These are both exciting, first-of-a-kind initiatives designed to contribute significantly to our progress toward fusion energy.
What attracted you to UKAEA and the fusion energy sector?
Before UKAEA, I worked at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), specifically at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the UK's main funder for academic research. Coming
How does ENI fit into this project, and why is the partnership important?
The partnership between UKAEA and Eni is truly unique and transformative. While UKAEA brings cutting-edge scientific and engineering expertise, Eni contributes extensive industrial knowledge, especially in delivering and commissioning complex infrastructure. This collaboration is not just about funding—though Eni’s investment is supporting critical equipment procurement—it’s about blending two skill sets to achieve something ambitious and novel.
As part of this partnership, Eni secondees are working directly within our teams, providing on-the-ground support and sharing industry best practices. This will significantly enhance our delivery capability for the H3AT project. We’re also engaging in
from a PhD in chemistry, I enjoyed working across diverse scientific areas—engineering, hydrogen technologies, quantum technologies—but I wanted to be closer to the action. UKAEA allows me to be deeply involved in the science and engineering, solving real-world challenges and contributing directly to something as impactful as fusion energy, which is a key global challenge for our future.
Let’s dive into the UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility: What is the project about?
The UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility is a £100 million, first-of-a-kind facility designed to demonstrate a continuous tritium fuel cycle, a critical component for future fusion power plants. Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen used as fuel in fusion, but it’s difficult to handle due to its small size and its tendency to escape containment. Our aim is to process and recycle tritium efficiently and safely—something that has never been done at this scale before.
My role involves coordinating the entire delivery process—working closely with technical teams, ensuring project governance, running assurance reviews, and reporting progress to senior stakeholders. It’s a challenging but exciting undertaking that will make a huge difference to the future of fusion.
This month, Katharine Dunn, Portfolio Manager for Fusion Technologies and Tritium Fuel Cycle at UKAEA, highlights her career journey and her work on two pivotal projects - CHIMERA and UKAEA-ENI H3at Tritium Fuel Cycle Facility.
Mauro Brena from Eni and Katharine Dunn
How does ENI fit into this project, and why is the partnership important?
The partnership between UKAEA and Eni is truly unique and transformative. While UKAEA brings cutting-edge scientific and engineering expertise, Eni contributes extensive industrial knowledge, especially in delivering and commissioning complex infrastructure. This collaboration is not just about funding—though Eni’s investment is supporting critical equipment procurement—it’s about blending two skill sets to achieve something ambitious and novel.
As part of this partnership, Eni secondees are working directly within our teams, providing on-the-ground support and sharing industry best practices.This will significantly enhance our delivery capability for the H3AT project. We’re also engaging in knowledge exchange, including site visits to ENI’s facilities to learn from their past infrastructure projects. It’s a people-driven partnership that’s elevating how we approach fusion infrastructure—bringing fresh perspectives and accelerating progress.
The project is set to begin commissioning in 2028 and aims to be fully operational by the end of 2030. There’s a long road ahead, but with UKAEA and Eni working together, we’re confident in reaching this ambitious goal.
Are there future projects you’re looking forward to working on?
My current focus is fully on delivering the H3AT facility and CHIMERA. These are large, long-term projects with huge potential. CHIMERA, for example, is a testing facility being built at the Fusion Technology Facility in Rotherham. Its goal is to replicate fusion-like conditions—such as high pressure, temperature, and magnetic fields—to test components for fusion power plants.
CHIMERA is not a simulation; it will be a real, physical facility where components can be validated before deployment in full-scale fusion machines. The project is currently mid-delivery and once operational, it will be a key tool in ensuring components are reliable and safe for future fusion applications.
What excites you most about your work at UKAEA?
It’s incredibly motivating to work on projects that are pushing boundaries and helping solve global energy challenges. Fusion energy has the potential to transform the way we power our world, and being part of that journey is very special. The UKAEA-Eni partnership in particular stands out—it’s about more than just infrastructure; it’s about people, skills, and collaboration coming together to realise a shared vision for clean, limitless energy.
Can you tell us a bit about your role at UKAEA?
I’ve been at UKAEA for just over a year now, working as a Portfolio Manager on major infrastructure projects—specifically focused on fusion technologies and the tritium fuel cycle. Right now, I’m involved in delivering two large-scale projects: CHIMERA, and the H3AT Tritium Loop Facility. These are both exciting, first-of-a-kind initiatives designed to contribute significantly to our progress toward fusion energy.
What attracted you to UKAEA and the fusion energy sector?
Before UKAEA, I worked at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), specifically at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the UK's main funder for academic research. Coming from a PhD in chemistry, I enjoyed working across diverse scientific areas—engineering, hydrogen technologies, quantum technologies—but I wanted to be closer to the action. UKAEA allows me to be deeply involved in the science and engineering, solving real-world challenges and contributing directly to something as impactful as fusion energy, which is a key global challenge for our future.
Let’s dive into the UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility: What is the project about?
The UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility is a £100 million, first-of-a-kind facility designed to demonstrate a continuous tritium fuel cycle, a critical component for future fusion power plants. Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen used as fuel in fusion, but it’s difficult to handle due to its small size and its tendency to escape containment. Our aim is to process and recycle tritium efficiently and safely—something that has never been done at this scale before.
My role involves coordinating the entire delivery process—working closely with technical teams, ensuring project governance, running assurance reviews, and reporting progress to senior stakeholders. It’s a challenging but exciting undertaking that will make a huge difference to the future of fusion.
This month, Katharine Dunn, Portfolio Manager for Fusion Technologies and Tritium Fuel Cycle at UKAEA, highlights her career journey and her work on two pivotal projects - CHIMERA and UKAEA-ENI H3at Tritium Fuel Cycle Facility.