The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is considering the production of hydrogen at nuclear reactors to decarbonize the energy and industrial sectors of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed al-Hammadi, Executive Director of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), said Friday, Bloomberg reported.
According to al-Hammadi, the pressurized water reactors that the Baraka NPP uses could be combined with the hydrogen production unit to form a single cogeneration system for cost-effective production of both electricity and hydrogen itself. While this method has great potential in the context of facilitating decarbonization efforts, it comes with a number of challenges related to the cost-effectiveness of incorporating hydrogen production into a broader energy strategy. For example, the production of hydrogen by thermochemical water fission processes requires innovative nuclear reactors operating at very high temperatures. At the moment, ENEC is working with the government to study the technical capabilities and economic feasibility of upgrading existing nuclear reactors to implement the new method, the attractiveness of which is mainly due to the fact that the UAE is the first oil-producing country in the Persian Gulf to commit itself to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Bloomberg notes that if successful, the UAE plans to use green hydrogen both to meet domestic market needs and for export.
Al-Hammadi also called the UAE authorities' decision to invest in nuclear power a wise one, especially given the energy crisis in Europe, which is largely due to soaring natural gas prices. "Today our investments in nuclear power are paying dividends <...>. We see gas prices in Europe, so we produce 1,400 megawatts of electricity 24/7 from a reliable, safe and clean source," he stressed.
The first nuclear power plant in the Arab world, Baraka, located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, started operating in 2020. The first of the four power units was launched on August 1, 2020, and it was put into commercial operation on April 6, 2021. According to the IAEA, the connection of the second power unit to the country's power system was carried out on September 14, 2021. After the commissioning of all four power units, which is planned to be completed in 2025, the capacity of the plant will be 5.6 gigawatts, which will provide about 25% of the country's electricity needs.
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Based on materials from TASS