Non-Electric & Cogeneration Virtual Workshop with End Users
The Non-Electric and Cogeneration Applications (NECA) Working Group hosted the Non-Electric & Cogeneration Virtual Workshop with End Users on June 17-18, 2025. The goal of this virtual workshop was to identify key challenges faced by industrial energy end-users in adopting non-electric and cogeneration applications of nuclear energy.
Overview of the event
This closed-door workshop will bring together industrial energy end users, regulators, and technology vendors to discuss non-electric and cogeneration applications of nuclear energy. The programme features case studies, expert perspectives, and moderated discussions aimed at identifying real-world implementation barriers such as regulatory, operational, and policy-related hurdles.
The audience for the webinar included 74 participants, including significant participation from energy end users who may be considering nuclear energy, and representatives from regulatory bodies, codes and standards organisations, or technical service organisations that support regulators.
The event featured the following sessions:
- Session 1: Operational experience with non-electric systems
- Session 2: District heating and industrial heating networks
- Session 3: Diversity of non-electric and cogeneration applications
- Session 4: Opportunities for process industries
Besides the opening remarks, the event followed Chatham house rules. Comments are therefore intentionally included without attribution to the speaker to enable anonymity and increased knowledge sharing. Names are included in this document if permission was explicitly provided. Presentations were delivered by experts from organisations such as CNNC Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, British Sugar, Dow Chemical, and more.
This virtual workshop builds on the success of previous end-user workshops hosted by the NECA Working Group, including the Workshop - Non-Electric Applications of Nuclear Heat in Toronto, Canada in October 2022 and the Workshop on Non-Electric and Hybrid Applications of Nuclear Energy in Busan, Korea in April 2024.
Key Insights from the Workshop
- Nuclear heat has broad industrial relevance. There are many potential applications: district heating, hydrogen, food and drink, cement, asphalt, mining, chemicals, potash, and more. Many have distinct temperature, pressure, and integration requirements.
- Combined heat and power using nuclear energy is technically mature, but deployment depends on local infrastructure and regulation. Past and current projects demonstrate feasibility, but factors such as siting, grid interaction, market changes, and permitting complexity influence their replicability today.
- Large-scale deployment of nuclear steam for industrial use is already occurring in China and government supported demonstrations are planned in other polities such as Japan. Demonstration projects are useful to build confidence and demonstrate the regulatory and financial pathways to commercial projects.
- There are "low-hanging fruit" where technical coupling is expected to be simple, including low-temperature electrolysis and district heating in certain jurisdictions.
- Process industries familiar with complex and large-scale infrastructure projects may be best positioned to lead early deployments. Sectors such as chemicals and oil and gas may be better suited to succeed with first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects due to their experience with high-risk capital projects and onsite energy supply and demand management.
- Public trust and local engagement remain essential. Gaining social license requires proactive, transparent engagement.
- Policy and permitting must evolve to support industrial-scale nuclear applications. Streamlined licensing, market recognition for nuclear heat, and mechanisms to reward early adopters were identified as key enablers.
- Past and current projects highlight the importance of coordinated design and planning when integrating nuclear systems into industrial operations. This includes addressing interface considerations (e.g. balance of plant, cross-contamination, physical security, regulatory and ownership jurisdictions), redundancy planning, contractual flexibility for long-term steam supply, and public and regulatory scrutiny readiness.
Workshop Proceedings
Workshop Programme
Day 1: 17 June 2025
| 13:00 – 13:20 Opening Session: Welcome address and keynote remarks | |
| Welcome Address of GIF | Michael Fuetterer, Technical Director, GIF |
| Opening remarks on the opportunity for non-electric applications of nuclear energy in Finland | Juho Korteniemi, Deputy Director General of Nuclear Energy and Fuels, Government of Finland (Finland) |
| 13:20 – 14:20 Session 1: Operational experience with non-electric systems | |
| Chair of session: | Chuk Azih, Co-chair of NECA Working Group (Canada) |
| Speakers will share operational experience using nuclear energy for non-electric applications, including petrochemical processes in China and paper production in Norway. | Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan) Institute for Energy Technology, Halden Reactor Project (Norway) CNNC Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (China) |
| 14:20 – 15:00 Session 2: District heating and industrial heating networks | |
| Chair of session: | Aiden Peakman, Co-chair of NECA Working Group (UK) |
| Speakers will discuss the role of heat networks and the opportunity for nuclear energy, covering both district energy systems and industrial heating networks. | Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation (UK) Boltzmann Institute (Canada) Steady Energy (Finland) |
| 15:00 – 16:00 Discussion. | |
| Moderator: Huang Zhang, Institute of Nuclear Energy and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University (China) | |
Day 2: 18 June 2025
| 13:00 – 13:10 Opening Session: Day 2 opening remarks | |
| Opening remarks on the history and opportunity of non-electric applications of nuclear in Sweden. | Carl Berglöf, National Nuclear New-Build Coordinator, Government of Sweden (Sweden) |
| 13:10 – 14:10 Session 3: Diversity of non-electric and cogeneration applications of nuclear energy | |
| Chair of session: | Francesco Ganda, International Atomic Energy Agency |
| Speakers will share analysis on the range of applications that could be supported with nuclear heat, and discuss analysis and challenges that extend beyond technoeconomic considerations. | British Sugar (UK) Heidelberg Materials (UK) CSA Group (Canada) Hatch (Canada) |
| 14:10 – 15:10 Session 4: Opportunity for process industries | |
| Chair of session: | Chan Soo Kim, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Korea) |
| Speakers will discuss the scale and urgency of the energy challenge in process industries including hydrogen and (petro)chemicals sectors. | Dow Chemical (USA) Hydrogen South West (UK) Orlen Synthos Green Energy (Poland) ExxonMobil (USA) |
| 15:10 – 15:50 Discussion. | |
| Moderator: Amgad Elgowainy, Argonne National Laboratory (USA) | |