Nuclear Turbines, a Manchester startup developing compact, cost-effective, advanced nuclear power systems, has raised a £15 million foundational round.

Founded by former BAE Systems principal engineer Jeremy Owston and internationally renowned nuclear engineer Professor Tim Abram, in partnership with Empirical Ventures’ venture studio and spun out of BAE Systems, Nuclear Turbines aims to solve nuclear’s critical cost and scale challenges by replacing steam turbine systems with highly efficient high-temperature turbine technology normally found in jet engines and gas-fired power plants.

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

Conventional small modular reactors were the first step towards addressing this need – making nuclear smaller, faster to deploy, and more adaptable – and now Nuclear Turbines is taking this technology to the next level by solving fundamental cost and scale challenges.

The funding round was led by IQ Capital, joined by Rhapsody Venture Partners, Zero Carbon Capital and Empirical Ventures. It 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.

Nuclear Turbines has also appointed Lauren Dickerson as chief commercial and strategy officer. Dickerson joins from Centrica, where she spent over four years as strategy director, bringing experience in commercial strategy, partnerships and external relations to the company’s growth plans.