FUSION reactors, which some say could deliver sustainable and clean energy, could become an economically viable method of generating electricity within decades, according to new research.

Research conducted by Durham University with the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire suggests the cost of generating electricity using fusion would not be dissimilar to the cost of traditional fission nuclear power.

The study’s findings support the possibility that fusion-generated energy could become a reality within decades.

Fusion energy has many advantages over traditional nuclear power such as not producing environment-harming radioactive waste that contributed to the disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima fission nuclear power stations.

The report focuses on fusion energy being possible due to recent advances in high temperature superconductors, which could help the construction of powerful magnets in order to reach very high temperatures needed for fusion reactors.

Professor Damian Hampshire, from Durham University, said: "Fission, fusion or fossil fuels are the only practical options for reliable large-scale base-load energy sources. Calculating the cost of a fusion reactor is complex, given the variations in the cost of raw materials and exchange rates. However, this work is a big step in the right direction."

The world’s first fusion reactor, the International Thermonuclear experimental reactor, is a decade away from operation in the south of France.