Citation
  • Chambers, D., Monabatti, M., Stolys, J., Ho, A., Dixon, I. (2024). Hydrogen Production using Nuclear Energy. Canadian Standards Association, Toronto, ON.

Executive Summary

As recognized in the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada, hydrogen may be expected to play an important role in Canada’s future energy mix. Across Canada and around the world, a number of projects are currently underway to establish hydrogen production from clean energy sources as a means to achieve climate objectives.

The goal of this research report is to help identify gaps and needs for standards-based solutions related to the production of hydrogen using nuclear energy, particularly the interface between nuclear power plants (NPPs) and hydrogen facilities. The report provides an overview of hydrogen production technologies and their compatibility with nuclear reactor technologies that are currently in operation or proposed for deployment in Canada. It also reviews policies, regulations, and standards currently available to establish the framework for hydrogen production at nuclear facilities.

The research conducted for this report included a review of scientific literature, technical studies, governmental agency reports, and relevant codes and standards. In addition, select relevant parties and specialists were interviewed to help identify areas where modified or new standards could support the development of hydrogen production from nuclear energy. To manage the complexity of the study, a subset of potentially available nuclear reactor technologies was considered, including CANDU NPPs currently operating in Canada and a range of small modular reactors that are in an advanced stage of development and licensing in Canada. This report describes various plausible combinations of hydrogen production facilities and NPPs for the production of hydrogen.

The findings suggest that a number of CSA standards could be further assessed for potential updating to address aspects related to the production of hydrogen using nuclear energy, particularly for topics related to safety analysis. In addition, new standards might be considered to further address the areas of interfacing of NPPs and hydrogen production facilities, and the siting of hydrogen production and storage facilities with respect to NPPs.