Control Examples — Safe-Flex, Water Reserve & Heat Halo

Power & Grid Balancing

Safe-Flex Grid Operator

When renewables dip, the operator surgically ramps down hydrogen production at individual sites — freeing firm nuclear power for the grid. From a 5% nudge at one site to a full 50% fleet-wide Dunkelflaute response.

🎛️

Safe-Flex Grid Operator Console

The operator watches the national grid in real time. When renewables dip, they can surgically ramp down hydrogen production at individual sites — freeing firm nuclear power for the grid. Every combination is available, from a 5% nudge at one site to a full 50% fleet-wide response.

☀️ Trigger: Normal conditions

Wind is strong, solar is healthy, grid demand is comfortable. All 28 sites run SOEC at 100% load — maximum hydrogen production, no grid support needed.

H₂ Production

58,016 t/d

100.0% of capacity

Grid Power Freed

0.0 GW

Firm nuclear backup

Sites Adjusted

0 / 28

28 at full load

Flexibility Used

of 50% max range

28 CFF Sites — SOEC Load Status

100%

Cromarty Firth

Scotland

100%

Firth of Forth

Scotland

100%

Firth of Clyde

Scotland

100%

Moray Firth

Scotland

100%

Teesmouth

North East

100%

Blyth

North East

100%

Wearside

North East

100%

Humber Estuary

Yorkshire

100%

Flamborough Head

Yorkshire

100%

Spurn Head

Yorkshire

100%

Mersey Estuary

North West

100%

Morecambe Bay

North West

100%

Barrow-in-Furness

North West

100%

Milford Haven

Wales

100%

Anglesey

Wales

100%

Swansea Bay

Wales

100%

Severn Estuary

South West

100%

Plymouth Sound

South West

100%

Falmouth

South West

100%

Thames Estuary

South East

100%

Solent

South East

100%

Dungeness

South East

100%

The Wash

East Anglia

100%

Harwich

East Anglia

100%

Lowestoft

East Anglia

100%

Wash Pipeline

East Midlands

100%

Severn Pipeline

West Midlands

100%

Belfast Lough

N. Ireland

LOAD:100%90–99%75–89%60–74%50–59%

Why This Matters

A gas peaker plant takes 10–30 minutes to start and produces carbon with every megawatt. Safe-Flex responds instantly — the SOEC load reduction is an electrical control signal, not a mechanical startup. The operator has 28 independent dials, each with a 50-percentage-point range. That is 1,400 discrete percentage points of flexibility across the fleet, deployable in any combination, at any time, with zero emissions and zero fuel cost. No other grid backup system on Earth offers that.

Water Resilience

Unit 8 — Strategic Water Reserve

Every site includes a dedicated desalination unit producing 50,000 m³/day of fresh water — independent of hydrogen production. The operator activates them for drought relief, irrigation emergencies, or burst mains.

💧

Unit 8 — Strategic Water Reserve Console

Every CFF mega-site includes a dedicated Unit 8 — a standalone desalination unit producing 50,000 m³/day of fresh water. These units are independent of hydrogen production. They sit on standby until the operator activates them — for drought relief, irrigation emergencies, burst mains, or any situation where fresh water is needed. Drinking water output passes through an automatic remineralisation system before entering the supply network.

🌧️ Trigger: Normal rainfall, no stress

Rainfall is normal across the UK. Reservoirs and river abstractions are healthy. All 28 Unit 8 desalination units remain on standby — ready to activate in hours, but drawing no energy and producing no water. The capacity is there whenever it is needed.

Water Output

Standby

Ready to activate

Units Activated

0 / 28

28 on standby

Capacity Used

of 1.4M m³/day max

People Supplied

—

No demand

28 Unit 8 Desalination Status

⚪

Cromarty Firth

Scotland

⚪

Firth of Forth

Scotland

⚪

Firth of Clyde

Scotland

⚪

Moray Firth

Scotland

⚪

Teesmouth

North East

⚪

Blyth

North East

⚪

Wearside

North East

⚪

Humber Estuary

Yorkshire

⚪

Flamborough Head

Yorkshire

⚪

Spurn Head

Yorkshire

⚪

Mersey Estuary

North West

⚪

Morecambe Bay

North West

⚪

Barrow-in-Furness

North West

⚪

Milford Haven

Wales

⚪

Anglesey

Wales

⚪

Swansea Bay

Wales

⚪

Severn Estuary

South West

⚪

Plymouth Sound

South West

⚪

Falmouth

South West

⚪

Thames Estuary

South East

⚪

Solent

South East

⚪

Dungeness

South East

⚪

The Wash

East Anglia

⚪

Harwich

East Anglia

⚪

Lowestoft

East Anglia

⚪

Wash Pipeline

East Midlands

⚪

Severn Pipeline

West Midlands

⚪

Belfast Lough

N. Ireland

Active — producing fresh waterStandby — ready to activate

Why This Matters

Britain has no strategic freshwater reserve. When drought hits, the only response is hosepipe bans, abstraction restrictions, and hoping it rains. Unit 8 changes that. 28 desalination units, each producing 50,000 m³/day, sitting on standby at every CFF site across the coast. The operator activates exactly what is needed, where it is needed — one site for a local burst main, four for a regional drought, all 28 for a national emergency. Fresh water that does not depend on rainfall. Drinking water that passes through automatic remineralisation before it enters the network. 1.4 million m³/day of sovereign water security that no other country has — available at the turn of a dial.

District Heating

Heat Halo — District Heating Schematic

Hot water leaves the CFF site at 95°C through insulated trunk mains, with booster stations maintaining temperature. Every home receives heating and hot water — no gas boiler, no fuel bill, no carbon.

🔥

Heat Halo — District Heating Schematic

Hot water leaves the CFF site at 95°C through insulated trunk mains. Booster stations along the route maintain the flow temperature. Every home receives reliable heating and hot water at 21°C indoor comfort — no gas boiler, no fuel bill, no carbon. The cooled return water flows back to the site at ~45–52°C to be reheated.

Hover over any point on the network to see temperatures and details

Flow Temperature

95°C

Leaving CFF site

Home Comfort

21°C

Every home, every day

Return Temperature

~45–52°C

Back to site for reheat

Booster Stations

Every 2 mi

Maintains flow quality

Homes per Site

~280,000

Within 10-mile halo

How It Works

The SMR\'s waste heat is captured by a heat exchanger and transferred to pressurised water at 95°C. This flows through insulated underground trunk mains towards the town. Every ~2 miles, a booster station tops the temperature back up to ~90°C using a small amount of site heat, maintaining delivery quality over distance. At each home, a heat interface unit (the size of a small boiler) extracts heat for radiators and hot water — the house stays at a comfortable 21°C all year round. The cooled water returns to the site at 45–52°C through the return pipe, ready to be reheated. No gas. No boiler maintenance. No fuel bill. The system runs for 200+ years with rolling maintenance — a permanent inheritance of free heat for the community.