The Anonymous Widower

British Gas Owner Mulls Mini-Nuke Challenge To Rolls-Royce

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Telegraph.

This is the sub-heading.

Centrica is looking to follow Rolls-Royce in developing small modular reactors

These are the first three paragraphs.

The owner of British Gas is considering investing in mini nuclear power plants in the UK as it seeks to cash in on burgeoning demand for the technology.

Centrica is in early talks with the Government about a potential future deal that could see the energy giant participate in the development of so-called small modular reactors (SMRs).

It comes after Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, last month announced billions of pounds in funding for SMRs, which will form part of a new “golden age” for atomic energy.

In Centrica Really Can’t Lose At Sizewell, I looked at Centrica’s involvement in Sizewell C and in particular the financing of the nuke and what Centrica would do with their share of the electricity, that the nuke will produce.

I listed these uses for hydrogen in the East of England.

• Transport – Buses, Coaches and Trucks
• Large Construction Projects
• Rail
• Ports
• Airports
• Agriculture And The Rural Economy
• Exports

I do wonder, if Centrica made the investment in Sizewell C, when they realised that there were a lot of uses for hydrogen and producing hydrogen using the electricity from a nuclear power station was a good way to generate hydrogen.

• Sizewell B is a 1.2 GW nuclear powerstation.
• Sizewell C is a 3.2 GW nuclear powerstation.
• Their investment in HiiROC surely gives them access to the technology to generate hydrogen.
• Centrica have a lot of experience of selling natural gas to customers, who need energy.
• There were also substantial government guarantees involved.
• Hydrogen made by a nuclear reaxtor is generally referred to as pink hydrogen.
• In Westinghouse And Bloom Energy To Team Up For Pink Hydrogen, I describe how two American companies have formed a partnership to make pink hydrogen.

Before they invested in Sizewell C, they would have done detailed financial and technical due diligence.

Did Centrica then scale the calculations to see if funding a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) to make hydrogen was a viable deal?

• SMRs are typically around 400-500 MW.
• The article mentions Rolls-Royce, but other companies are developing SMRs.
• Centrica use Rolls-Royce mtu generators for some of their installations.
• Some SMR/HiiROC systems could be built close to steelworks or other high energy users.

This is a very interesting development in taking the UK to net-zero.

July 27, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Finance, Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | Cement, Centrica, Decarbonisation, Glass, Hydrogen Steelmaking, Rolls-Royce SMR, Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station, Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station, Small Modular Nuclear Reactor