France is using its nuclear electricity surplus to produce green hydrogen — giving its nuclear fleet a valuable new purpose.
France's nuclear fleet generates approximately 70% of national electricity — clean, reliable, and at remarkably low marginal cost. But nuclear plants are designed to run at constant output. When electricity demand falls — on mild spring nights, for example — French nuclear plants must either throttle down inefficiently, export cheap electricity to neighbors, or find another use for their output.
Green hydrogen production is that other use. Electrolyzers can absorb surplus nuclear electricity at times of low demand, converting it to hydrogen that can be stored, transported, and used as clean fuel or industrial feedstock. The hydrogen earns revenue from the low-cost electricity that would otherwise be sold at near-zero prices — significantly improving the economics of both nuclear generation and hydrogen production.
EDF — the operator of France's nuclear fleet — has partnered with Air Liquide and McPhy to develop electrolysis installations at nuclear plant sites. The Civaux nuclear plant in Vienne and the Chinon plant in Indre-et-Loire are pilot sites for electrolyzer deployments that will produce hydrogen for industrial users in the surrounding regions.
France's hydrogen strategy targets 6.5 GW of electrolyzer capacity by 2030. Nuclear-powered electrolysis — exploiting the country's unique baseload electricity advantage — is projected to contribute a significant proportion of that capacity at costs below wind or solar-powered alternatives in France's specific electricity market context.
Air Liquide is building hydrogen distribution infrastructure connecting French nuclear plant electrolyzer sites to industrial hydrogen consumers in the Normandy and Loire Valley chemical corridors.
EDF — Électricité de France — 2024
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