Nuclear Turbines raises £15M to make nuclear cheaper and smaller

What's the deal? Manchester-based Nuclear Turbines has raised £15m in an early-stage round to develop compact nuclear systems that integrate with gas turbine technology. IQ CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led, with participation from Rhapsody Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Zero Carbon CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Empirical VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

What's the endgame? Spun out of BAE SystemsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →' Launchpad initiative, the company replaces steam turbine systems with high-temperature turbines normally found in jet engines and gas-fired power plants. Removing the need for steam infrastructure makes its design compact enough to deploy "behind the meter" on industrial sites, data centres, and manufacturing facilities.

How it's different: The startup positions its approach as a step beyond conventional small modular reactors, which made nuclear smaller and faster to deploy. "The nuclear industry has always designed reactors first, then figured out what to do with the heat," says co-founder Jeremy Owston. "We flipped this script: we started with the cheapest way to generate power and designed a reactor to fit."

What's the money for? The funding will 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 signal: At £15m, this ranks among the largest early-stage energy rounds ever raised in the UK — in roughly the top 6% by size. It reflects investor appetite for clean, cheap power to support reindustrialisation and rising demand from data centres.

Read more: UKTN

Image credit: ThinkGeoEnergy