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.
Centrica Really Can’t Lose At Sizewell
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Centrica’s £1.3 billion investment in Sizewell C guarantees substantial returns, even with cost overruns.
These two-and-a-half paragraphs explain the funding.
Now we know what Ed Miliband means by his “golden age of nuclear” — golden for the companies putting their money into Sizewell C. Yes, reactor projects have a habit of blowing up private investors. But maybe not this one. It looks more like an exercise in transferring risk to consumers and the taxpayer.
Sure, nobody builds a £38 billion nuke on a Suffolk flood plain without a frisson of danger. But the energy secretary and his Treasury chums have done their bit to make things as safe as possible for the companies putting in equity alongside the government’s 44.9 per cent stake: Canada’s La Caisse with 20 per cent, British Gas-owner Centrica (15 per cent), France’s EDF (12.5 per cent) and Amber Infrastructure (7.6 per cent).
For starters, nearly all the debt for the 3.2 gigawatt plant, three-quarters funded by loans, is coming from the state-backed National Wealth Fund. It’s bunging in up to £36.6 billion, with £5 billion more guaranteed by a French export credit agency.
It looks to me that between them the British and French governments are providing £41.5 billion of loans to build the £38 billion nuke.
These are my thoughts.
Hydrogen And Sizewell C
This page on the Sizewell C web site is entitled Hydrogen And Sizewell C.
Under a heading of Hydrogen Buses, this is said.
At Sizewell C, we are exploring how we can produce and use hydrogen in several ways. We are working with Wrightbus on a pilot scheme which, if successful, could see thousands of workers transported to and from site on hydrogen double decker buses. You can read more about the pilot scheme in our press release
Firstly, it could help lower emissions during construction of the power station. Secondly, once Sizewell C is operational, we hope to use some of the heat it generates (alongside electricity) to make hydrogen more efficiently.
This would appear to be a more general statement about hydrogen and that the following is planned.
- Hydrogen-powered buses will be used to bring workers to the site. A press release on the Sizewell C web site, talks about up to 150 buses. That would probably be enough buses for all of Suffolk.
- Hydrogen-powered construction equipment will be used in the building of the power station.
- It also talks about using the excess heat from the power station to make hydrogen more efficiently. I talk about this process in Westinghouse And Bloom Energy To Team Up For Pink Hydrogen.
This is a substantial investment in hydrogen.
Centrica And Electricity From Sizewell C
The article in The Times, also says this.
Even so, there’s a fair bit of protection for the likes of Centrica, which has also agreed a 20-year offtake deal for its share of Sizewell’s electricity. The price of that is not yet known.
Nothing is said in the article about the size of Centrica’s electricity offtake.
- If they get 15 % of Sizewell C, that would by 480 MW.
- If they get 15 % of Sizewell B + C, that would by 660 MW.
If they use their share to generate hydrogen, Suffolk would have a massive hydrogen hub.
To power the buses and construction of Sizewell C, Sizewell B could be used to provide electricity to create the hydrogen.
How Would The Hydrogen Be Produced?
Centrica, along with other companies, who include Hyundai and Kia, are backers of a company in Hull called HiiROC, who use a process called Thermal Plasma Electrolysis to generate hydrogen.
On their web site, they have this sub-heading.
A Transformational New Process For Affordable Clean Hydrogen
The web site also describes the process as scalable from small modular units up to industrial scale. It also says this about the costs of the system: As cheap as SMR without needing CCUS; a fraction of the energy/cost of water electrolysis.
If HiiROC have achieved their objective of scalability, then Centrica could grow their electrolyser to meet demand.
How Would The Hydrogen Be Distributed?
Consider.
- Currently, the Sizewell site has both road and rail access.
- I can still see in my mind from the 1960s, ICI’s specialist articulated Foden trucks lined up in the yard at Runcorn, taking on their cargoes of hydrogen for delivery all over the country.
- As that factory is still producing hydrogen and I can’t remember any accidents in the last sixty years, I am fairly sure that a range of suitable hydrogen trucks could be developed to deliver hydrogen by road.
- The road network to the Siewell site is being updated to ensure smooth delivery of workers and materials.
- The rail access to the Sizewell site is also being improved, for the delivery of bulk materials.
I believe there will be no problems delivering hydrogen from the Sizewell site.
I also believe that there could be scope for a special-purpose self-propelled hydrogen tanker train, which could both distribute and supply the hydrogen to the vehicles, locomotives and equipment that will be using it.
Where Will The Hydrogen Be Used?
I have lived a large part of my life in Suffolk and know the county well.
In my childhood, there was quite a lot of heavy industry, but now that has all gone and employment is based on agriculture, the Port of Felixstowe and service industries.
I can see hydrogen being used in the following industries.
Transport
Buses and heavy trucks would be powered by hydrogen.
The ports in the East of England support a large number of heavy trucks.
Large Construction Projects
Sizewell C is not the only large construction project in the East of England, that is aiming to use low-carbon construction involving hydrogen. In Gallagher Group Host Hydrogen Fuel Trial At Hermitage Quarry, I talked about a hydrogen fuel trial for the Lower Thames Crossing, that involved JCB and Ryse Hydrogen.
Hydrogen for the Lower Thames Crossing could be delivered from Sizewell by truck, down the A12.
Rail
We may not ever see hydrogen-powered passenger trains in this country, but I do believe that we could see hydrogen-powered freight locomotives.
Consider.
- The latest electro-diesel Class 99 locomotives from Stadler have a Cummins diesel engine.
- The diesel engine is used, when there is no electrification.
- Cummins have developed the technology, that allows them to convert their latest diesel engines to hydrogen or natural gas power, by changing the cylinder head and the fuel system.
- Access to the Port of Felixstowe and London Gateway needs a locomotive with a self-powered capability for the last few miles of the route.
A Class 99 locomotive converted to hydrogen would be able to run with out emitting any carbon dioxide from Felixstowe or London Gateway to Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Ports
Ports have three main uses for hydrogen.
- To power ground-handing equipment, to create a pollution-free atmosphere for port workers.
- To fuel ships of all sizes from the humblest work-boat to the largest container ships.
- There may need to be fuel for hydrogen-powered rail locomotives in the future.
There are seven ports with excellent road and/or rail connections to the Sizewell site; Felixstowe, Great Yarmouth, Harwich, Ipswich, London Gateway, Lowestoft and Tilbury.
The proposed Freeport East is also developing their own green hydrogen hub, which is described on this page on the Freeport East web site.
Airports
Airports have two main uses for hydrogen.
- To power ground-handing equipment, to create a pollution-free atmosphere for airport workers.
- In the future, there is likely to be hydrogen-powered aircraft.
There are three airports with excellent road and/or rail connections to the Sizewell site; Norwich, Southend and Stansted.
Agriculture And The Rural Economy
Agriculture and the rural economy would be difficult to decarbonise.
Consider.
- Currently, most farms would use diesel power for tractors and agricultural equipment, which is delivered by truck.
- Many rural properties are heated by propane or fuel oil, which is delivered by truck.
- Some high-energy rural businesses like blacksmiths rely on propane, which is delivered by truck.
- Electrification could be possible for some applications, but ploughing the heavy land of Suffolk, with the added weight of a battery on the tractor, would probably be a mathematical impossibility.
- JCB are developing hydrogen-powered construction equipment and already make tractors.
- Hydrogen could be delivered by truck to farms and rural properties.
- Many boilers can be converted from propoane to run on hydrogen.
I feel, that hydrogen could be the ideal fuel to decarbonise agriculture and the rural economy.
I cover this application in detail in Developing A Rural Hydrogen Network.
Exports
Consider.
- Sizewell B and Sizewell C nuclear powerstations have a combined output of 4.4 GW.
- A rough calculation shows that there is a total of 7.2 GW of wind farms planned off the Suffolk coast.
- The East Anglian Array wind farm alone is said in Wikipedia to be planned to expand to 7.2 GW.
- The Sizewell site has a high capacity connection to the National Grid.
Nuclear plus wind should keep the lights on in the East of England.
Any excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen.
This Google Map shows the location of Sizewell B in relation to Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands.
The Sizewell site is indicated by the red arrow.
The offshore oil and gas industry has used technology like single buoy moorings and coastal tankers to collect offshore natural gas for decades.
I don’t see why coastal hydrogen tankers couldn’t export excess hydrogen to places around the North Sea, who need the fuel.
It should be born in mind, that Centrica have a good reputation in doing natural gas trading. This expertise would surely be useful in hydrogen trading.
Conclusion
I believe that a hydrogen hub developed at Sizewell makes sense and I also believe that Centrica have the skills and technology to make it work.
GE Vernova To Build Up To 18 MW Offshore Wind Test Turbine In Norway
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has granted GE Vernova’s subsidiary Georgine Wind permission to build and operate an 18 MW test turbine in Gulen municipality.
These first three paragraphs add more detail.
The project, which is part of a test programme to advance offshore wind technology, will feature an up to 18 MW turbine, with a maximum tip height of 275 metres and up to 250 metres in rotor diameter.
The turbine is expected to have an annual electricity production of 55 GWh, which corresponds to the annual energy consumption of approximately 2,750 Norwegian households.
The unit is planned to undergo testing for up to five years, after which it will remain on land and generate electricity for an additional 25 years.
Note.
- It is the largest wind turbine to be licensed in Norway.
- The turbine will be erected atSløvåg, which is a few miles North of Bergen.
- It is the first wind power plant in Norway to be licensed within an existing industrial area.
- Research will be done to see how the giant turbine interacts with existing industry.
- I can see a lot of research being done during the 25-year lifetime of the turbine to the reactions of those living and working near the turbine.
I do feel that as GE are an American company with worldwide interests, under normal political circumstances, this turbine would have been erected at a site in the United States.
But with Trump in charge and his opposition to renewable energy, it may be that the Norwegian tax regime makes the installation in Norway, a better financial proposition.
On the other hand, the Norwegians may be looking at decarbonising remote rural areas with single large turbines.
SNP Ban On ‘Munitions’ Funds Puts Scottish Shipbuilding On The Line
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The president of Rolls-Royce submarines says plans for a world-class welding centre on the Clyde are at risk of being cancelled within days
These three paragraphs add more details to the story.
Ambitious plans to reverse a historic decline in Scottish shipbuilding are at risk after a £2.5 million taxpayer grant was axed due to an SNP ban on “munitions” funding.
A plan to build a specialist welding centre on the banks of the Clyde is now in grave doubt after Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency, was accused of reneging on a pledge to fund a building for the world-class facility.
Rolls-Royce, which is ready to support the project by providing £11 million worth of specialist equipment, expressed “dismay” at the news, saying the project had been classified as a “munitions” scheme solely on the basis that it would “support the construction of naval vessels”.
Given the experience of the Scottish Government in building ferries is documented in this Wikipedia entry, which is entitled Scottish Ferry Fiasco, the SNP must know something about how not to build ships.
The comments from readers of the Times Article are scathing, with many coming from those with Scottish names.
Welding And Nuclear Power
It doesn’t mention the other big use for welding in this article and that is in the manufacture of nuclear reactors. In fact one of the members of the Rolls-Royce consortium, that will build their small modular nuclear reactors is The Welding Institute – No prizes for guessing what they do!
Does that mean that Scotland won’t have anything to do with small modular nuclear reactors? Either in their manufacture or use.
This article in New Civil Engineer is entitled UK Plans New Nuclear Plant In Scotland Despite Scottish Government Opposition.
So if the Scottish Government wants nothing to do with making expensive, quality vessels for the nuclear industry, Rolls-Royce would surely be better building the welding centre in an area of the UK that would appreciate it.
Scots In High Positions Of Power
I like Scotland and the Scots and possibly, at one time, with all the North Sea Oil and Gas, I could have thought about relocating North of the Border. But I’m very glad I didn’t!
It does seem to me though, that when some Scots get to high positions of power, that they lose all sense of reason.
I would nominate.
- Fred the Shred
- The SNP
- That half-Scot, who was lucky enough to be elected US President twice.
There must be a few others.
Sport England Funds Leisure Centres Rooftop PV Installations
The tiitle of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.
These two introductory paragraphs give a few more details and describe two installations.
Two local authority-owned leisure centres have received rooftop solar panel installations thanks to funding from Sport England.
Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Scheme is a national scheme that has thus far distributed over £80 million to improve the energy efficiency of public swimming pools across the UK. Most recently, Workington Leisure Centre in Cumberland has installed a 160kW solar array, while Witham Leisure Centre near Braintree, Essex, has completed a 407kW solar panel installation.
After reading the whole article, it looks to me that leisure centres with their large areas and generous car parking, are a good application for solar panels, that can be of benefit to users, operators, solar panel installers and their financiers.
My experience of finance was mainly in providing funding for vehicles, but once a finance company finds a profitable niche, they are good at exploiting it.
Out of town retail premises and sports stadiums could be other profitable applications.
I Keep Getting Offers Like This
This is an offer, I received from Nationwide.
Make things happen in 2025. You could borrow £7,500 – £25,000 over 1 to 5 years with a rate of 5.9% APR Representative.
Note.
- I have banked with them for probably twenty-five years.
- I got this after, I had successfully logged in.
- I don’t really need the money.
I have also received unsolicited offers from other well-known banks.
In Is Internet Security Sometimes Over Secure?, I described how eBay seemed to have stopped me from using my credit cards on-line.
Marks & Spencer cleared that bother up for me and the offers started after they did.
But at least, since the trouble with eBay, I’ve not lost anything to scammers, although eBay might have.
Is it just a coincidence, that the offers started after Marks & Spencer cleared up my credit rating or does it always happen, when your credit rating improves?
It could also be that the banks have masses of money to lend and no-one is borrowing anything.
The 7 Largest Dow Jones Net Drops In American History
Somebody posted these as a comment on The Times.
- 16th March 2020 -2,997.10
- 12th March 2020 -2,352.60
- 9th March 2020 -2,013.76
- 11th June 2020 -1,861.82
- 4th March 2025 -1,679.39
- 11th March 2020 -1,464.94
- 18th March 2020 -1,338.46
All were when Trump was president.
Somebody else said, That he’s good at losing other people’s money!”
Another added. “Trump is also good at losing his own!”
Education Secretary Suggests End Of Free School Meals For Some Infants
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Bridget Phillipson has put forward a £500m package of savings in negotiations with the Treasury
Welcome to the Summer of Discontent.
We’re Taking Money Out Of Government, Says Starmer As Cuts Loom
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Rachel Reeves faces a showdown with unions over plans to slash government running costs, which may mean the loss of five times more Whitehall jobs than previously planned
Welcome to the Summer of Discontent.
Thousands Of Jobs To Be Axed In Great Rail Shake-Up
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Most of the cuts are expected to be in back-office roles where staff are not members of the most active transport trade unions
Welcome to the Summer of Discontent.
