Nuclear hydrogen projects to support clean energy transition: Updates on international initiatives and IAEA activities

Abstract

Hydrogen is expected to be a game changer in the fight against climate change, being able to support the clean energy transition through a variety of roles: decarbonizing different hard-to-abate industrial sectors (such as steel, cement production) and transport (in long haul vehicles, maritime transport, and aviation), direct use as a fuel, chemical feedstock or in the form of synthetic fuels, and providing the ability to integrate with hybrid energy systems and renewables, enhancing energy storage and tapping the full potential of renewable energy sources. As a consequence, a substantial expansion in hydrogen production, due to rise in the demand, is expected by 2050, with all the generation coming from zero-carbon processes (electrolysis/thermochemical cycles using clean electricity and heat) or from a low-carbon production process using steam methane reforming with carbon capture and storage. Nuclear energy can be capitalized on both electricity and heat to provide a clean and reliable source of hydrogen through various processes. There are currently various demonstration projects undergoing in several countries to showcase the use of nuclear energy to produce clean hydrogen, considering both the current reactor fleet and advanced reactors. This paper provides an overview of these projects, giving an insight on the potential use of nuclear energy for hydrogen production and the current status of existing projects. It also highlights the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency on technical and economic assessment of hydrogen production using nuclear energy for near term deployment.