Nuclear Production of Hydrogen, Fourth Information Exchange ...

PRESENT STATUS OF HTGR AND HYDROGEN PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT IN JAEA
Figure 15: Reduction of CO 2 emission
32% reduction
(compared with CO2 emission rate in 2005)
Million tonnes CO2
Figure 16: Contribution of technologies to reduction of CO 2 emission
Million ton-CO 2
1400
No measure
Million tonnes CO2
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2005 2030 2050 2100
Year
Others
Nuclear
Vision
Concluding remarks
Japan may have diverse means to produce hydrogen for national energy security, depending on
hydrogen demand and market. Hydrogen production from water using HTGR, which could meet
massive demand in the future hydrogen economy, is one of the most promising systems even in the
near future around 2020 or later when the demand would grow. In addition, HTGR hydrogen
production is one of the promising solutions towards limiting CO 2 emission to reduce the risk of global
warming and other adverse environmental effects through replacing fossil fuels of oil, gas and coal.
The HTTR project ongoing at JAEA and its international collaboration efforts such as Generation IV
will play an important role of facilitating the transition to the hydrogen economy and contributing to
protect the environment from the carbon emission. Thus future application of nuclear energy other
than electricity generation can be achieved and expanded for the sustainable future toward zero
carbon society.
NUCLEAR PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN – © OECD/NEA 2010 57