Japan pilot targets clean hydrogen from nuclear heat
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) plans to produce clean hydrogen using heat from a high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor at the Oarai Nuclear Engineering Institute in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.
JAEA has applied to Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority to connect a hydrogen production facility to its high-temperature test reactor, as part of a broader effort to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking and the chemical industry.
If approved, the project could position high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology as a viable production method for low-carbon hydrogen. According to the agency, it would mark the world’s first use of a high-temperature gas reactor for hydrogen production at this scale.
The process will use heat (up to 950°C) generated by the test reactor to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This method, known as thermochemical water splitting, enables hydrogen production without carbon dioxide emissions.
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