A Rolls-Royce small modular reactor can produce clean hydrogen for less than €3.50/kg ($3.80/kg), significantly better than alternatives that lack the continuity and flexibility of nuclear energy, a study has concluded.

The study, published by Amsterdam-based nuclear energy development company ULC-Energy, said this cost can be driven down to less than €2/kg by 2050 by taking into account the value of the flexibility to curtail clean hydrogen production and deliver electricity to an increasingly intermittent grid.

The clean hydrogen would be produced by a Rolls-Royce SMR combined with Topsoe’s high temperature solid oxide electrolyser cell (SOEC) technology. Danish electrolyser manufacturer Topsoe was involved in preparation of the study, as was Rolls-Royce SMR.