What goes on in Poland on the 25th of September.
Nuclear power can be used for heat and hydrogen production
– Nuclear energy is not just electricity production. It can also be used for cogeneration, hydrogen production or industrial heat – said co-chairman of the IFNEC Nuclear Infrastructure Development Group Alex Burkart at the headquarters of the Ministry of Energy, opening the international seminar „Nuclear Energy Beyond Electricity”. This event is organized by the Ministry of Energy and the organization of the International Framework For Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC).
During the seminar, the possibilities of using energy arising from the fission of atomic nuclei were presented, not only to produce electricity. Top experts, including from the USA, China, Japan or Russia, discussed innovative solutions in the field of nuclear cogeneration, hydrogen production or the possibility of using microreactors, where there is no access to the power grid.
The use of nuclear energy in new fields, such as heating and transport, would result in lesser use of fossil fuels, which would reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants, and consequently contribute to climate protection. Prospects for the development of the nuclear industry in this direction are noticed, for example, by the US Department of Energy, which awarded this month funding of $ 15 million for projects using nuclear energy, including for the production of hydrogen, which could be the fuel of the future.
Experts from 10 countries participate in the „Nuclear Energy Beyond Electricity” seminar. Today, they will visit the National Center for Nuclear Research in Świerk, where they will get to know with the operation of the Maria reactor and see how the production of radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine looks like.
IFNEC is an intergovernmental organization founded in 2006 at the initiative of the United States. Poland joined it in 2007. Currently 69 entities participate in its work: 34 member countries, 31 observer countries and 4 international organizations. IFNEC is a forum for cooperation between countries involved in supporting the development of peaceful applications for safe and efficient nuclear energy.