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ANS > Public Information > Nuclear Matters > Hydrogen Fuel and Nuclear Power > Talking Points
1:
Demand for hydrogen fuel is large and rapidly increasing
  • 50 million tons of H2 are produced for global consumption per year with a 4 to 10% growth per year.

  • Applications include fertilizer, chemical industry, liquid fuels, transportation and oil refining.

  • Utilization of new technologies (e.g. fuel cells and enriching of biomass or other low-quality fuels) can significantly increase the growth rate of hydrogen demand.
2:
Cost effective with no gas emissions to pollute the air
  • Only nuclear energy can produce hydrogen at large enough scales to meet future demand while avoiding the release of greenhouse gases.

  • In the future, utilization of advanced reactor designs to produce hydrogen can lead to efficiencies up to 50%.
3:
Enhances energy independence and sustainability
  • The sources of hydrogen are abundant, decreasing our dependence on countries in potentially volatile regions of the world.

  • If we develop production of hydrogen fuel to its full potential, we can reduce our demand for oil by over 11 million barrels per day by the year 2040.

  • Use of fast breeder reactors to produce hydrogen can provide a sustainable energy source for future generations.
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