COP28: Japan’s Nuclear Hydrogen and Other Issues Introduced at Official Side Event

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On December 6, the seventh day of the COP28 meeting in Dubai, a talk session was held on the theme of nuclear energy's contribution to deep decarbonization of electricity and harder-to-abate sectors. Among the speakers at the session were Professor ARIMA Jun of the University of Tokyo School of Public Policy and UETAKE Akihito, senior managing director of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF).

Prof. Arima pointed out that the dichotomous “nuclear vs. renewable energy” debate in Japan was a sterile one, adding that a scenario analysis conducted by the University of Tokyo showed that decarbonization in the power sector could be achieved at minimal system cost by maximizing the use of both renewable energy and nuclear power.

He also noted that while electrification was essential for the decarbonization of the non-electricity sector, hydrogen-based technologies would contribute to industries such as steel and cement, which cannot be covered by electrification. He expressed his idea that green hydrogen production “should not be the only option for renewable energy, but nuclear power should also be utilized.”

Referring to the Future Nuclear Energy Policy Direction and Action Guidelines—issued by Japan’s Kishida administration in April of this year—he explained that Japan would work to restart and extend the operating period of existing reactors, develop and construct next-generation innovative reactors, promote the nuclear fuel cycle, and maintain and strengthen domestic supply chains and human resources.

Prof. Arima also stated that 12 pressurized water reactors (PWRs) had already been restarted, and that next year—for the first time since the Fukushima Daiichi accident of March 2011—two boiling water reactors (BWRs) were planned to be restarted in Japan.

Meanwhile, JAIF Senior Managing Director Uetake pointed to nuclear-derived hydrogen as the key to decarbonizing the non-power sector. As specific examples of hydrogen production under development in Japan, he cited both the thermochemical IS process using the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), and hydrogen tracking, started in October by Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kansai EP) in Tsuruga City.

This is Japan’s first initiative to utilize nuclear-derived hydrogen at a nuclear power plant (NPP) and is intended to demonstrate the tracking of a series of processes—from production to utilization—while using nuclear-derived hydrogen for cooling generators at an NPP.

In addition, at the same session, Simon Wakter (Senior Analyst & Project Manager, Quantified Carbon Ltd.) and Heather Ferguson (Senior Vice President, Ontario Power Generation) introduced case studies from Sweden and Canada, respectively.