The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) plans to ask the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) to review its plan for building a hydrogen production facility linked to a hight temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
JAEA aims to produce hydrogen using heat generated by the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, and will be integrally operated with the reactor. It will be the world’s first such facility.
Heat generated by conventional reactors reaches 300ºC, but HTGRs can produce temperatures above 800ºC, which can be used to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen facility and the HTTR facility will be connected by piping, through which high-temperature helium gas will be circulated. The heat from the gas will be used to cause a reaction between water and methane to produce large amounts of hydrogen.
JAEA plans to obtain approval from the NRA in fiscal 2025 and start construction of the hydrogen production facility in fiscal 2026 with the aim of starting operation in fiscal 2028. Nariaki Sakaba, who is in charge of the HTTR project at JAEA, said, “We hope to succeed in producing hydrogen by 2030 and developing it to be the world’s top technology.”
The review for the project will be conducted by the NRA rather than the Economy, Trade & Industry Ministry to focus on the safety aspect during the review process. This is because any problem in the core parts of the hydrogen production facility could affect the nuclear reactor.
