Nuclear power is experiencing a renaissance worldwide. In particular, geopolitical effects on energy prices and the desire to reach net zero emissions by 2050 are among the driving forces.

Institutions such as MIT, IPCC, and IEA acknowledge the role of nuclear power in deeply decarbonizing the world. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Net Zero by 2050 scenario (NZE) predicts that the electrical power generation from nuclear power will increase two-fold by 2050, which is a median value of investigated scenarios.

Up to 97 scenarios have been assessed by the IPCC to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. One scenario considers nearly an eight-fold increase in nuclear power.

If nuclear is to play a role in a future decarbonized world, it is important to understand what role it can play alongside renewables. This knowledge-building is essentially the aim of this research project.

Our objective

The NERES project looks at nuclear power generation from a Nordic and a Norwegian viewpoint. The project analyzes the potential impact of nuclear energy on the power system, where we have defined two core objectives:

• Power system studies: Analyze how nuclear energy affects power prices and power flows, and how increased baseload generation would impact the dispatch of hydropower plants. An interesting research question is whether this could alleviate hydropower flexibility that can be used to balance a higher share of intermittent energy sources
• Industrial applications: Evaluate the role of nuclear energy in the production of local clean hydrogen. Map technology maturity and establish the potential for hydrogen from nuclear energy (“pink hydrogen”). In addition, the potential role of nuclear for district heating and other industrial processes, such as for synthetic fuels, will also be assessed.