Topsoe, ULC-Energy, a nuclear energy development and consultancy company, and Rolls-Royce SMR, which delivers nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) solutions, announce the signing of a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) to investigate the production of H₂ based on SOEC technology and electricity and heat from an SMR nuclear power plant.

H₂ produced based on nuclear has significantly lower carbon intensity compared to conventional H₂ and can therefore contribute to lowering global greenhouse gas emissions in heavy-industry and long-distance transportation.

Sundus Cordelia Ramli, CCO Power-to-X, at Topsoe said, "We’re excited to investigate the potential of H₂ from nuclear SMR’s and our SOEC electrolysis technology together with ULC-Energy and Rolls-Royce SMR. With our SOEC technology, we can produce more H₂ relative to influx of renewable power input when compared to competing electrolysis technologies. To enable net zero by 2050, we need to look into all possible technologies, and we’re confident that our electrolysis technology will be one of the key components in the race for net zero.”

Dirk Rabelink, CEO of ULC-Energy said, “H₂ will play an increasingly important role in balancing future energy markets. We expect nuclear energy, especially in combination with high temperature electrolysis, to be able to produce zero-emission H₂ competitively on a stand-alone basis. Additional value associated with the operational flexibility will further enhance the business case for this solution. We are particularly pleased that this study has been made possible by the support from a number of national and international companies.”

Harry Keeling, Rolls-Royce SMR’s Head of Industrial Markets said, “The production of low-cost H₂ is a critical step on the pathway to decarbonizing our wider society. This agreement with ULC-Energy and Topsoe is an exciting step toward unleashing the potential of the Rolls-Royce SMR as its ability to flexibly provide thermal and electrical energy supports a wide range of industrial applications, chief amongst these being the large-scale generation of low-cost H₂.”

Nuclear energy combined with SOEC technology has the potential to produce H₂ cheaper than alternative electrolysis processes because: 1) The electrolysis takes place at a high temperature, which means that less electricity is needed to produce H₂; 2) The nuclear power plants can produce energy on average up to 95% of the time, significantly higher than alternative variable energy sources; 3) Nuclear energy can supply heat as well as electricity. By using heat directly, energy losses in the steam turbine can be avoided thus increasing the effective energy capacity of the nuclear power plant above its electric power rating.

Furthermore, the Rolls-Royce SMR nuclear power plant can, when required, switch to deliver power to the grid, providing back-up to variable power sources when these sources are not available. This is expected to be a competitive solution compared to alternatives, like long duration energy storage solutions or H₂ combustion for electricity generation. The cooperation will include a valuation of the operational flexibility of the Rolls-Royce SMR/Topsoe SOEC combination in the future energy market.