Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative Launch Attracts Worldwide Press

So far, the launch has generated significant attention from the news media, including articles in well-known business and energy industry publications such as E&E News, Recharge, Street Insider and H2 View.

Pillsbury is a key participant in NHI and Elina Teplinsky, a leading member of Pillsbury’s Nuclear and Hydrogen teams and the Energy Industry Group deputy leader, has served as a spokesperson for the initiative and was quoted extensively throughout the news media as the launch rolled out.

 “Hydrogen has an important role to play in a decarbonized global energy system and we can unlock massive opportunities to quickly scale it by leveraging nuclear energy,” she said in one interview.

In another interview, Teplinsky said, “Actual data from organizations such as the IEA [International Energy Agency] shows that nuclear energy… has [an] LCOE (levelized cost of energy) that is on average not only competitive with renewables but is often lower.”

“This is an opportunity to bring together these two industries that have the potential to catalyze decarbonization at the scale and the speed this really needs to have,” she concluded.

According to a release about the launch, the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative will engage policymakers, businesses, investors and other key stakeholders around the world to raise awareness of the important role nuclear energy technology, particularly advanced reactors can play in delivering clean hydrogen for various zero-carbon fuel applications in many energy segments that are difficult to electrify and abate carbon emissions. NHI will facilitate the development of nuclear hydrogen demonstrations, engage the financial sector in nuclear hydrogen development, catalyze commercial partnerships, and advocate for policies that support nuclear hydrogen deployment. 

Nuclear technologies could be key to meeting global demand for zero-carbon fuel demand—which is projected to increase 500-fold by 2050 according to the International Energy Agency. Hydrogen generated using nuclear energy has several important benefits, including that it requires a small land footprint, it is energy dense, and it provides firm and reliable clean energy at scale 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 

In coordination with the launch of NHI, the initiative also published its first report, Hydrogen Production from Carbon-Free Nuclear Energy: Overview of Current Policies and Recommendations for Government Actions. The report provides a summary of the policy landscape for nuclear hydrogen around the world, highlighting significant government momentum to advance hydrogen as a climate solution.

Ranked among the elite by both Chambers USA and Chambers Global, Pillsbury possesses one of the world’s top nuclear energy teams–a trailblazing practice with more than 50 years of firsts. As one of the most respected and well-established names in the nuclear law industry, Pillsbury has worked on large-scale energy projects and their financings in more than 75 countries on six continents. Pillsbury was also the first AmLaw 100 firm to launch a hydrogen practice and was shortlisted for the “Innovation in Sustainability & ESG” award for its recent hydrogen developments. In 2021, Pillsbury issued a first-of-its-kind hydrogen map–a regularly updated compendium of global low-carbon hydrogen projects and their status–which gained global recognition.