Small modular reactors designed to drive carbon-free ammonia

Ammonia production, a critical process for global fertilizer supply, is highly energy-intensive and currently relies heavily on natural gas steam reforming, contributing about 1.2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 2 percent of fossil energy use. With rising demand driven by population growth, reducing the carbon footprint of ammonia manufacturing is urgent. Researchers in the U.S., led by Utah State University and funded by the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program, are investigating the use of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to power carbon-free ammonia plants. SMRs offer reliable baseload power and heat, can be located near consumption centers to reduce transportation emissions, and enable co-location of hydrogen and nitrogen production with ammonia synthesis, improving efficiency and lowering costs. The project focuses on two reference designs using the NuScale SMR (250 MW thermal, 77 MW electric) as the energy source, with one design using freshwater and the other incorporating desalination for seawater or brackish water. Hydrogen