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United Kingdom52 days leftOpen

Thermal Buffer Technology

Tender Overview

LOCATION

United Kingdom, United Kingdom

VALUE

Not disclosed

DEADLINE

March 27, 2026 at 00:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

45251000

REFERENCE

007421-2026

Project Timeline

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Contact Information

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View Original

Original Tender Description

The following summary is not intended as a complete or definitive specification of the requirement. A purpose of this engagement is to seek information from the market to help refine our understanding and aid the development of a future specification. UKIFS is seeking experts to support the design and development of a thermal storage system that integrates with the STEP power cycle. While the power cycle is designed to efficiently integrate heat from the tokamak device during a high power steady state scenario, the power cycle and cooling systems must also be highly flexible to adapt to uncertain prototypic operations e.g. the systems must have the ability to switch on and off and ramp up and down at the start and end of operational periods. Significant thermal power will be generated from the tokamak device during the ‘rapid density rise phase’ of the reactor plasma ramp up, lasting a few minutes. This is an effective ramp of 2GWth generated from the tokamak during these few minutes. To manage this very immediate and sudden generation of heat from the tokamak, a minimum amount of thermal storage will be needed to increase the thermal inertia of the primary coolant loops, allowing the power cycle to ramp up to 100% load in a timely manner. Further, thermal storage may be needed to enable partial operation of the power cycle during the transition between the initial pre-heat to part load operational period. The thermal storage system will be expected to extract heat from a hot CO2 primary coolant during the ramp up phase and deliver heat back to the CO2 primary coolant (or to a separate secondary working fluid) during the ramp down phase. The proposed technical operating conditions of the thermal storage system and load requirements are: -CO2 primary coolant operating pressure: 50 to 150 bar. -CO2 primary coolant operating temperature: 550°C to 650°C. -Thermal duty in the region of 800MW. -Required energy storage of 150MWh. -Required fast ramping duration in a few minutes. Systems of interest & key words: -Thermal energy storage -Latent heat storage -Sensible heat storage -Thermochemical heat storage -Thermal battery -Molten salt storage systems -Molten salt heat exchangers/ steam generators -Phase change materials -Metallic phase change materials -Solid state energy storage -Packed bed storage -Concrete battery -Sand battery Please note that the CPV codes given in this notice have now been corrected. To view this notice, please click here: https://ukifs.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=1009995808
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MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No mandatory exclusion grounds are specified for this Market Engagement Notice, as it is not a formal tender for contract award.
✓

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Be an expert capable of supporting the design and development of thermal storage systems.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Possess expertise in designing and developing thermal storage systems.
  • Demonstrate capability to integrate thermal storage with the STEP power cycle.
  • Understand flexible system operations, including the ability to switch on and off and ramp up and down, to adapt to uncertain prototypic operations.
  • Have expertise in managing rapid heat generation from a tokamak device during the 'rapid density rise phase' (e.g., 2GWth in a few minutes).
  • Possess knowledge of thermal storage systems capable of extracting heat from a hot CO2 primary coolant during ramp-up and delivering heat back to the CO2 primary coolant (or a separate secondary working fluid) during ramp-down.
  • Be familiar with CO2 primary coolant operating pressures ranging from 50 to 150 bar.
  • Be familiar with CO2 primary coolant operating temperatures ranging from 550°C to 650°C.
  • Have expertise in systems with a thermal duty in the region of 800MW.
  • Have expertise in systems requiring an energy storage capacity of 150MWh.
  • Have expertise in systems requiring fast ramping duration in a few minutes.
  • Possess knowledge of and experience with relevant thermal storage systems and technologies, including but not limited to: Thermal energy storage, Latent heat storage, Sensible heat storage, Thermochemical heat storage, Thermal battery, Molten salt storage systems, Molten salt heat exchangers/steam generators, Phase change materials, Metallic phase change materials, Solid state energy storage, Packed bed storage, Concrete battery, Sand battery.
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FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • No financial requirements are specified for this Market Engagement Notice.
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SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Respond to the Market Engagement Notice to provide information.
  • Submit information to help refine UKIFS's understanding and aid the development of a future specification.
  • Ensure submission is made by the deadline: 2026-03-27T00:00:00.
  • Submissions are expected to be made via the Delta eSourcing platform (as indicated by the provided link).

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DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data007421-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
UKIFS is seeking market information from experts to support the design and development of a flexible thermal storage system for the STEP power cycle, capable of managing rapid heat generation (2GWth) and providing 150MWh storage at 800MW thermal duty with high-temperature CO2 coolant.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data007421-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
United Kingdom Industrial Fusion Solutions is seeking market information from experts to design and develop a flexible thermal storage system for the STEP power cycle, capable of managing rapid heat generation and storing 150MWh at high temperatures and pressures.
PDF
Official PDF Version
Administrative Documents007421-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
This document is a tender notice for mast management services, including lease management, maintenance, and financial administration, for the Office of the Police & Commissioner for Hampshire & Isle of Wight, with an estimated value of £150,000.
HTM
Tender Notice
Notice007421-2026.html
Summary:
Download failed - no summary available

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68
Good

Tender Quality Score

This is a well-detailed Market Engagement Notice for a highly innovative project, but its quality is significantly hampered by critical issues with document accessibility and relevance, alongside some data gaps.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

As a Market Engagement Notice, the absence of a formal procedure type and award evaluation criteria is appropriate. The CPV code has been corrected, and there are no disputes. However, the reveal date is missing, and the value is classified, which are minor compliance gaps for transparency.

•Missing reveal date
•Estimated value classified
Clarity85/100

The technical description of the thermal storage system and its integration with the STEP power cycle is exceptionally clear and detailed. The purpose of the engagement (seeking market information to refine future specifications) is also explicitly stated, making the notice's intent unambiguous.

Completeness60/100

While basic information, technical requirements, and key dates (submission, contract duration, start) are provided, the completeness is severely impacted by issues with the attached documents. One document failed to download, and another has a summary completely irrelevant to this tender, indicating significant gaps in accessible and relevant information.

•Document 1 failed to download
•Document 2 summary is irrelevant to the tender content
Fairness70/100

The technical requirements, though highly specialized, appear to be a genuine attempt to explore the market broadly for innovative solutions, not tailored to a specific company. Electronic submission is indicated, promoting equal access. However, the classified value and issues with document accessibility reduce overall transparency and fairness.

•Document access issues (failed download, irrelevant summary)
•Estimated value classified
Practicality75/100

The notice provides a clear document URL and indicates support for electronic submission via the Delta eSourcing platform. The contract start date and duration are specified, offering good foresight for potential respondents. The classified value is a minor practical limitation.

•Estimated value not disclosed
Data Consistency40/100

There is strong consistency between the main description and the AI-extracted requirements. Dates are logical. However, the summary for Document 2 being entirely unrelated to the tender content represents a critical data inconsistency, severely undermining the reliability of the provided documentation.

•Document 2 summary is inconsistent with the tender content
Sustainability60/100

The project itself (fusion energy, STEP power cycle) is inherently focused on innovation and long-term energy sustainability. However, the tender document does not explicitly include green procurement criteria or social aspects for the thermal storage system's design, development, or lifecycle.

•No explicit green procurement criteria
•No explicit social criteria

Strengths

Clear and detailed technical description of the requirement
Explicitly defined as a Market Engagement Notice, clarifying its purpose
Strong focus on innovation (fusion energy, advanced thermal storage)
Comprehensive AI-extracted technical capability requirements
Electronic submission via Delta eSourcing platform indicated

Concerns

Critical inconsistency in provided document summaries (Document 2 is irrelevant)
One tender document failed to download (Document 1)
Estimated value is not disclosed and classified
Missing 'Liable Person' and 'Type'/'Procedure' fields
Lack of explicit green or social procurement criteria

Recommendations

1. Ensure all linked documents are relevant, accessible, and accurately summarized to maintain data integrity.
2. Consider disclosing an estimated value range, even for market engagement, to better inform potential respondents.
3. Integrate explicit sustainability (environmental and social) criteria into future specifications, leveraging the project's inherent sustainable nature.

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B
Tender Quality Score
68/ 100 · Good
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