Ineos has held initial talks with Rolls-Royce on using its nuclear technology to potentially provide zero-carbon energy to the Grangemouth refinery.
The engine maker is one of several companies hoping to use experience with mini nuclear reactors for submarines to build the next generation of power sources, while the chemicals group is looking to decarbonising its massive facility on the Firth of Forth.
Ineos is in the early stages of moving to hydrogen power at the Grangemouth plant, but doing this in a 'green' way requires large amounts of renewable electricity, so it is currently considering wind and nuclear options.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that discussions with Rolls-Royce are still at an early stage, with no commercial negotiations having taken place.
The former prime minister Boris Johnson sought to make nuclear energy a key part of the UK’s energy strategy in April, in response to concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, approving several large reactors capable of generating gigawatts of power, as well as efforts to build megawatt-scale small modular reactors (SMRs).
However, in its electoral pact with the Greens, the Scottish National Party has an opposition to any new nuclear plants.
Rolls-Royce is working to find locations for the new reactors, currently prioritising four sites of old nuclear reactors in the UK to install the SMRs - Trawsfynydd and Wylfa in north Wales, a site near Sellafield in Cumbria, and Oldbury in Gloucestershire.
Rolls-Royce’s outgoing chief executive Warren East has said that SMR revenues could end up being many times larger than its current business, as global demand for zero-carbon energy increases during the transition away from fossil fuels.
Ineos and Rolls-Royce declined to comment.
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