4 Nuclear Power Plants Gearing Up for Clean Hydrogen Production

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Hydrogen has the potential to play a significant role in the nation’s transition to 100% clean energy.

It can be used across multiple sectors to store and deliver usable energy to power the grid, drive industrial processes, or create energy dense fuels needed for long-haul trucks and airplanes.

But, around 95% of the hydrogen currently produced in the United States comes from natural gas—resulting in carbon emissions.

That’s why the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing billions to help lower the cost and scale-up the production of clean hydrogen by leveraging the nation’s existing energy assets, including nuclear power plants.

How Is Clean Hydrogen Produced?

Most of the hydrogen currently produced in the U.S. is made through steam-methane reforming. In this process, Methane reacts with high-temperature steam to produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.

One way to produce hydrogen without emissions is through low- and high-temperature electrolysis by splitting water into pure hydrogen and oxygen. High-temperature electrolyzers use both heat and electricity to split water and are more efficient.

Traditional and advanced nuclear reactors are well-suited to provide this constant heat and electricity needed to produce clean hydrogen, which could open new markets for nuclear power plants.

DOE estimates that a single 1,000-megawatt reactor could produce up to 150,000 tons of hydrogen each year. This could be sold regionally as a commodity for fertilizers, oil refining, steel production, material handling equipment, fuel cell vehicles, or even carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.

Details of the 4 demonstration projects can be found at the link...

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/4-nuclear-power-plants-gearing-clean-hydrogen-production