HYDROGEN IS ALREADY A BIG business. Global demand stood at 130 million tonnes in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) 2021 Global Hydrogen Review. Two thirds of current production is used for industrial purposes, including to produce ammonia in an early stage of fertiliser production. A third is as part of a mixture of gases, such as synthesis gas, used for fuel or feedstock for other chemicals. At the moment the overwhelming majority of hydrogen is produced from methane gas, via steam reforming. Those uses are not going away - quite the reverse. In future, more industries are expected to turn to hydrogen, to replace fossil fuels in sectors such as steelmaking. Hydrogen is also expected to be important in decarbonising other sectors where electricity cannot be used, such as heavy transport including trucking and rail services. It is also an important option for long-term energy storage and other roles in managing electricity supply, for example hydrogen replacing methane in gas turbines. The IEA estimates that by 2050 hydrogen production will have to grow to over 500 million tonnes annually. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission puts the potential at twice that.
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