The European Union is aiming to become climate-neutral by 2050. Success will depend on decarbonising the economy and reshaping the energy matrix. Clean, green energy sources will be in high demand. 

Clean hydrogen, produced by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen, has the potential to significantly contribute to this goal, by helping large industries (such as chemical and steel) and economic sectors (such as transport and automotive) to reduce their use of fossil fuels. 

The EU-funded NPHyCo project aimed to find out whether large amounts of clean hydrogen could be produced by the nuclear power plants (NPPs) currently in use across Europe. Researchers explored the economic, technical and operational feasibility of a variety of methods for producing hydrogen.

“Beyond investigating the feasibility and viability of hydrogen production, we also developed a configuration for a pilot project and selected the site for an implementation phase in 2025,” said Canet Serin, project manager of H2 Projects & Battery Storage at Framatome, a nuclear design specialist. 

Making hydrogen from nuclear energy

Hydrogen can be generated by using heat and electrical energy to split water, or by separating out the hydrogen fraction of fossil fuels. 

“Nuclear could play a role by replacing some of the thermal energy, and thus reducing the CO2 emissions associated with this process,” explained Serin. 

NPHyCo first explored what the needs of a hydrogen production plant (HPP) would be. These included the resources the HPP could potentially share with the NPP, how the two plants would interact, and key licensing issues which would need to be considered for a coupling project. 

The team then figured out the demand side needs for hydrogen, and assessed whether hydrogen from a nuclear plant could bring any benefits. They estimated the potential costs associated with the deployment of an HPP, as well as potential revenue streams from purchases of low-carbon hydrogen. Finally, they conducted an economic comparison between nuclear and other hydrogen production sources.

This laid the groundwork for a potential future pilot project. 

“Based on our results, water electrolysis technologies appear to be the most suitable, although in the near future, steam electrolysis technologies could also be an option,” added Serin. 

The researchers note that not all existing nuclear facilities can be coupled with an HPP. Successful integration depends on several factors, including sufficient nearby demand for hydrogen, logistics, the requirements of the hydrogen plant and the remaining lifetime of the NPP.

Technology-neutral policies

The NPHyCo project developed several recommendations based on their results, which could speed up the process of joining HPPs onto NPPs. 

Government policy is a big influence on the long-term cost of hydrogen – and therefore the economic viability of a project. Carbon pricing could help make nuclear-produced hydrogen more competitive, for example.

“Technology-neutral policies, which support all forms of low-carbon hydrogen, will also play an important role,” said Serin. The team now hopes to secure further funding, to progress onto a future pilot project.