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5 min ago 2 min read
UK start-up Rivan Industries has raised £25m ($33.7m) to expand deployment of its green hydrogen-based synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants, to support domestic fuel production.
The company, which is already commissioning a 15MW plant in the UK Southwest, plans to produce SGN “at costs competitive with fossil fuels” for injection to the gas grid.
Led by investor IQ Capital with participation from Plural, the raise will support the deployment of the 15MW project, while scaling manufacturing of its technology at its 50,000ft2 site in South London. It follows a £10m ($13.5m) raise in 2025 led by Plural.
Rivan’s SNG system uses a calcium-looping direct air capture system to source carbon dioxide (CO2) for the process, while an alkaline electrolyser produces hydrogen. The two gases are then combined in a Sabatier reactor to generate methane.
Its primary focus is on supplying heavy industries, such as steel, cement, and chemical production, with gas.
While both technologies present expensive forms of CO2 and hydrogen generation, the company says the cost of gas produced by its system is £80 ($108) to £90 ($121) per megawatt hour – double the price of European natural gas.
However, by scaling production, Rivan believes it could be competitive with fossil gas within three years.
It said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has highlighted the fragility of Europe’s energy system, which relies heavily on gas imports.
“It cannot be overstated how impactful a domestic synthetic fuel supply chain would be for the continent, shifting from a location-constrained monopoly into controllable local production,” the firm said.
This follows an increasing focus from green hydrogen and synthetic fuel companies in pitching their technologies as a way to secure energy sovereignty.
Last week, UK electrolyser maker ITM Power partnered with Rheinmetall to support plans to build a network of decentralised e-fuel plants across Europe to .
