NuScale SMR chosen for U.K. wind-nuclear hybrid

January 18, 2021, 12:01PMANS Nuclear Cafe

British hybrid clean energy company Shearwater Energy announced on January 15 that it is joining with U.S.-based NuScale Power to develop a hybrid project using wind energy and small modular reactor technology to produce power and green hydrogen.

According to news reports, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on an initial project, which could be sited at the now-decommissioned Wylfa nuclear power station on the island of Anglesey, off the northwestern coast of Wales. No land agreements have been reached, however.

Going green: Shearwater said that the project could produce more than 3 million kilograms of green hydrogen annually for use in the U.K.’s transportation sector. It also could provide both baseload and load-following power as needed, with any excess electricity used to create green hydrogen (defined as hydrogen produced using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels).

SMR investment: The United Kingdom has announced plans to rapidly expand offshore wind capacity by 2030 and invest in SMR development to meet net-zero carbon emissions goals by 2050. Shearwater and NuScale in their announcement said that hybrid wind-nuclear energy systems not only would provide reliable power, but also would help the power grid overcome intermittency and grid stability issues.


Related Articles

DOE selects TVA and Holtec for SMR awards

December 3, 2025, 3:00PMNuclear News

The Department of Energy has selected the Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec Government Services to support the early deployments of light water small modular reactors in the United States....

A trip abroad

November 17, 2025, 7:01AMNuclear NewsHash Hashemian

In my August column in Nuclear News, I reflected on the importance of ANS’s annual conferences for bringing together our nuclear community at the national level. In September, after speaking...