Nuclear Turbines raises £15m to solve nuclear’s cost and scale challenges

Manchester-based Nuclear Turbines has raised £15m to advance its development of compact nuclear systems designed to integrate with gas turbine technology.

Spun out of BAE Systems’ Launchpad initiative, Nuclear Turbines strives to solve nuclear’s critical cost and scale challenges by replacing steam turbine systems with high-temperature turbine technology normally found in jet engines and gas-fired power plants.

By removing the need for steam infrastructure, Nuclear Turbines says its solution is so compact that it could be deployed ‘behind the meter’ on industrial sites, powering critical infrastructure such as industrial facilities, data centres and manufacturing facilities with a cost-effective, resilient alternative to grid-connected electricity. 

The company says conventional small modular reactors were the first step towards addressing this need, making nuclear smaller, faster to deploy and more adaptable. Now, Nuclear Turbines aims to take this technology to the next level by solving fundamental cost and scale challenges.

The funding will be used to advance and validate the reactor design, build large-scale test rigs, and expand the team as the company prepares to manufacture its first fuel elements.

The round was led by IQ Capital and included participation from Rhapsody Venture Partners, Zero Carbon Capital and Empirical Ventures.

“The nuclear industry has always designed reactors first, then figured out what to do with the heat,” says Jeremy Owston, co-founder of Nuclear Turbines. “We flipped this script: we started with the cheapest way to generate power and designed a reactor to fit. 

“If we’re serious about reindustrialising while meeting climate goals, we need energy that’s clean and cheap. We’ve created the only tech that solves both, from the UK.”