Hydrogen

Coalition forms to generate hydrogen from Energy Harbor nuclear plant

The coalition will use nuclear power generated by Energy Harbor’s Davis-Besse Power Station to produce carbon-free hydrogen through electrolysis.
Coalition forms to generate hydrogen from Energy Harbor nuclear plant
(Cooling tower at Davis-Besse Nuclear Station, formerly owned by FirstEnergy. Source: Wikimedia.)

Energy Harbor is partnering with the University of Toledo, major industrial companies and several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories among others to form the Great Lakes Clean Hydrogen (GLCH) coalition. The goal is to transition the Midwest into a leading low-carbon fuel production center.

The coalition will use nuclear power generated by Energy Harbor’s Davis-Besse Power Station to produce carbon-free hydrogen through electrolysis.

In October 2021, Energy Harbor and DOE agreed to develop a hydrogen production demonstration project at Davis-Besse in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Xcel Energy, and Arizona Public Service. The plant was chosen due to its proximity to key hydrogen consumers in the manufacturing and transportation sectors of the market.

Many believe nuclear has the potential to produce hydrogen in a clean and reliable way. Hydrogen is seen as an important path to drive decarbonization – including in hard-to-abate sectors. In power generation, hydrogen is one of the leading options for storing renewable energy, and hydrogen can be used in gas turbines to increase power system flexibility.

More than 40 organizations representing industry, government, nonprofit and academia formed the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (NHI) to advance nuclear hydrogen. NHI would also facilitate the development of nuclear hydrogen demonstrations, engage investors and advocate for policies that support nuclear hydrogen deployment.

Advocates have said hydrogen produced from nuclear could help build an economic case to keep the nation’s at-risk reactors up and running.

Davis-Besse is a single-unit nuclear plant located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and is situated on Lake Erie. The approximately 900 MW contains a pressurized water reactor supplied by Babcock & Wilcox.

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