Bloom Energy, Westinghouse Produce Clean Hydrogen for Nuclear Market

Westinghouse Electric Co. and Bloom Energy Corp. plan to explore, identify, and implement clean hydrogen production projects across the commercial nuclear power market and jointly develop an optimized, large-scale, and high-temperature integrated electrolysis solution for the industry.

“We are proud Westinghouse has turned to Bloom and our solid oxide technology to supercharge the clean hydrogen economy,” said Rick Beuttel, Vice President of Hydrogen Business, Bloom Energy. “Solid oxide technology is well suited for nuclear applications, efficiently harnessing steam to further improve the economics of hydrogen production. High temperature electrolysis is already garnering attention and accolades as a cost-effective and viable solution to create low-cost, clean hydrogen, which is critical to meeting aggressive decarbonization goals.”

SOEC electrolyzer; Image Credits: Bloom Energy

The ability of nuclear plants to operate continuously and provide steam input makes them an ideal companion to electrolyzer technology, capable of producing large quantities of clean hydrogen without disrupting ongoing operations.

Hydrogen generated from nuclear plants can be applied to several industries, including renewable fuels production, oil and metals refining, ammonia synthesis, mining operations, and mobility for heavy trucks, buses, and air travel. Westinghouse and Bloom can also support the U.S. Department of Energy’s hydrogen hub development.

“Through this collaboration, we are committed to delivering an economical solution for large-scale hydrogen production in the nuclear industry, which further supports the path to net-zero carbon emissions,” said Pam Cowan, Westinghouse President of Americas Operating Plant Services.

In February 2024, Westinghouse signed an agreement with the Community Nuclear Power to accelerate the deployment of a privately financed small modular reactor (SMR) fleet. The Westinghouse AP300 SMR will be deployed with commercial operation scheduled for the early 2030s.

Per the agreement, four AP300 SMRs will be built in the North Teesside region of northeast England. Teesside is experiencing significant industrial and economic development, increasing the demand for carbon-free, reliable electricity. Community Nuclear Power (CNP) is working with strategic partners, including Jacobs and Interpath Advisory, to develop a fully licensed site for the project by 2027.

Bloom Energy is also applying its electrolyzer technology in a partnership with Shell, established in March of this year. The companies will collaborate to develop replicable, large-scale, solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) systems that will produce hydrogen for use at Shell assets. The partnership will help the advancement of decarbonization opportunities for new SOEC technology.

Bloom’s SOEC can produce clean hydrogen at scale to augment or replace fossil fuel-powered grey hydrogen supplies, which are produced at refineries by high CO₂-emitting steam methane reformation. Clean, or green, hydrogen is produced from water electrolysis using renewable energy. Electrolysis-driven hydrogen production helps to eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Demand for the Bloom Electrolyzer, manufactured in California and Delaware, has increased due to the growing interest in the low-carbon economy. Bloom’s SOEC operates at high temperature and high efficiency and produces more hydrogen per MW than commercially available lower temperature electrolyzers such as proton electrolyte membrane or alkaline. In May of this year, Bloom conducted a successful demonstration with a large-scale 4 MW SOEC, where it produced 2.4 metric tons of hydrogen per day at the NASA Ames research facility in Mountain View, CA.