Hydrogen production kicks off at Constellation’s Nine Mile Point Nuclear Plant in Oswego

It’s the nation’s first state-of-the art 1 MW demonstration scale nuclear-powered clean H2 facility.

With the start of hydrogen production, the Constellation Energy Corporation (Nasdaq: CEG) facility in New York aims to address the climate crisis by demonstrating the value of producing hydrogen (H2) from carbon-free nuclear energy to power a clean economy.

In 2022, the US Department of Energy awarded $5.8 million to the Nine Mile Point project.

The funds marked the US Department of Energy (DOE) green lighting the construction and installation of an electrolyzer system at the Oswego facility. The Hydrogen Generation System operating at the plant is a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer manufactured by Nel Hydrogen. It uses 1.25 megawatt (MW) of zero-carbon energy per hour to generate 560 kilograms (kg) of clean hydrogen each day. This is more than the plant requires to meet its operation hydrogen use.

The hydrogen production system at Nine Mile Point is also expected to help set the stage for potential large-scale deployments at other clean power centers in Constellation’s fleet. According to the company, these centers would combine clean H2 production with storage as well as other on-site uses.

“In partnership with DOE and others, we see this technology creating a pathway to decarbonizing industries that remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels, while creating clean-energy jobs and strengthening domestic energy security,” said president and CEO of Constellation, Joe Dominguez, in a company press release.

Constellation is investing hundreds of millions for commercial clean hydrogen production.

The Baltimore-based leading energy supplier is committed to invest $900 million through 2025 for commercial production of clean hydrogen using nuclear energy. This is part of the company’s decarbonization strategy, which also includes Constellation collaborating with public and private entities that represent each phase in the hydrogen value chain to develop regional hydrogen production and distribution hubs.

Among the entities with which Constellation is working include participating in the Northeast Clean Hydrogen Hub, Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, and Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), all of which are exploring H2 projects involving the development of hydrogen infrastructure in collaboration with the DOE.

“DOE is proud to support cost-shared projects like this to deliver affordable clean hydrogen,” said Dr. Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for Nuclear Energy, DOE, in reference to Constellation’s announcement of beginning hydrogen production at its Nine Mile Point facility.

“The investments we’re starting to make now through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act will even further expand the hydrogen market to create new economic and environmental benefits for nuclear energy,” Huff added.

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