London energy startup Rivan has opened Production Base 1, a 60,000 sq ft factory in South Bermondsey that will host all metal fabrication, electronics and assembly of its 1MW synthetic natural gas systems. The site will be able to build 50 systems a year once fully up to speed and will inform PB2, a second plant with 10 to 20 times the capacity.

Each system pairs with off-grid solar power to produce carbon-neutral gas from CO2 and water. The 1MW units combine alkaline electrolysis with a Sabatier reactor to produce gas chemically identical to methane. The company installed its first megawatt system in Wiltshire in August 2026, feeding its gas into the UK grid.

PB1 also houses 25,000 sq ft of research and development space. Rivan employs around 50 people and plans to recruit for more than 100 roles over the next 12 months.

Founded in 2024 by Harvey Hodd, Rivan has raised £25 million (€28.7 million) to scale domestic synthetic fuel production in Europe, and says it has sold its entire planned production until 2029.

Founder and CEO Harvey Hodd said in a company blog: "PB1 will be the largest facility of its kind in the world, dedicated to producing modular synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants to deliver energy security to Europe." Hodd added: "This is a great start, but nowhere near the scale we aim to operate at in the near future."

Hodd described PB1 as a blueprint for future factories, allowing the team to understand production from raw materials to deployment before scaling up and automating, with PB2 due to deliver 10 to 20 times the output in 2028. Rivan is aiming to bring up to 1TWh of synthetic natural gas online within three years.

The structural driver is energy security, with the International Energy Agency putting the UK's import share of natural gas at 49.2 per cent in 2025.

Hodd said: "We need to keep every part of the product - from initial design right through to commissioned system ready for deployment - under the same roof." Hodd added that being in London helps attract engineers from Canada, Australia and the US as well as the UK.

For the sector, PB1 puts fabrication, electronics and assembly of gas-producing hardware under a single roof in London, with 50 systems a year as the first step towards a plant with 10 to 20 times that output.

Source: theengineer.co.uk / rivan.com / gasworld.com / eu-startups.com