The US Department of Energy (DoE) is seeking applications for hydrogen projects coupled with nuclear power and has altered an existing funding call to support developments using high-temperature electrolysis that can be coupled to existing or new reactors.

“It is anticipated that selected awardees could design and develop the heat-extraction infrastructure needed for a nuclear and hydrogen industrial energy park or develop hydrogen-coupled end uses for nuclear-produced hydrogen,” says the amended funding call.

As well as electricity, nuclear reactors produce high-temperature steam that can be used to make electrolysis more efficient and therefore reduce the amount of electricity needed to produce hydrogen.

“Based on what I have seen, hydrogen produced from nuclear power is cheaper than hydrogen produced from renewables, especially for existing plants. You can integrate high-temperature steam that is currently going to waste,” says Elina Teplinsky, spokesperson for industry coalition the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative.

Nuclear renaissance

Eight US reactors have shut down prematurely in the last two years as they struggled to compete with cheap shale gas. But the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act contains several incentives that may give struggling plants a lifeline.

“It is anticipated that selected awardees could design and develop the heat-extraction infrastructure needed for a nuclear and hydrogen industrial energy park” DoE

The zero-emission nuclear power production credit provides up to $15/MWh for the electricity produced by the plants. Furthermore, nuclear hydrogen projects are zero carbon and therefore could be eligible for the full $3/kg production tax credit for hydrogen projects.

The legislation also includes $700mn to enable the Office of Nuclear Energy develop a domestic supply chain for enriched uranium and $150mn to improve the overall R&D infrastructure at national nuclear labs.

And at least one of the four regional hydrogen hubs that will receive at least $8bn funding from the DoE will be required to have a nuclear project as part of its offering.

The US will need all forms of hydrogen to meet its goals for the fuel, according to Teplinsky.

“The figures I have seen are very significant: 600GW of electricity capacity will be needed to produce hydrogen in the US. So we will need pink as well as green,” she says. The US currently has 240GW of low-carbon generation capacity.

Some nuclear projects have already started to benefit from DoE grants, with the Nine Mile Point plant receiving a grant for a hydrogen pilot project in August 2021. According to operator Constellation’s latest sustainability report, the project is due to begin hydrogen production before the end of this year.

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Author: Tom Young