India just built first hydrogen plant that runs on nuclear heat
India has built the world's first hydrogen plant that uses nuclear heat instead of electricity to produce hydrogen, located at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Background
- The article describes a new facility in India that produces hydrogen using heat from a nuclear reactor rather than electricity (electrolysis) or fossil fuels like natural gas. This is called "pink hydrogen" (nuclear-powered) as opposed to "green hydrogen" (renewable electricity) or "grey hydrogen" (fossil fuels).
- Hydrogen is widely used in fertilizer production, refining, and heavy industry, and is seen as a potential clean fuel for sectors like steelmaking and long-haul transport. Most hydrogen today is made from natural gas, which releases CO2.
- The plant uses a process called thermochemical splitting (likely the sulfur-iodine cycle), which breaks water into hydrogen and oxygen using high-temperature heat (~850°C) instead of electricity. This can be more efficient than electrolysis if cheap heat is available.
- India has ambitious climate goals (net-zero by 2070) and a National Green Hydrogen Mission. Leveraging its nuclear program (22 reactors) for hydrogen production could reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and create a domestic clean-fuel supply, though challenges remain around reactor safety, cost, and scaling the technology.