Techno-Economic Assessment of Pink Hydrogen Produced from Small Modular Reactors for Maritime Applications

This paper presents a techno-economic assessment of liquid hydrogen produced from small modular reactors (SMRs) for maritime applications. Pink hydrogen is examined as a carbon-free alternative to conventional marine fuels, leveraging the zero-emission profile and dispatchable nature of nuclear energy. Using Greece as a case study, the analysis includes both production and transportation costs, along with a sensitivity analysis on key parameters influencing the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), such as SMR and electrolyzer CAPEX, uranium cost, and SMR operational lifetime. Results show that with an SMR CAPEX of 10,000 EUR/kW, the LCOH reaches 6.64 EUR/kg, which is too high to compete with diesel under current market conditions. Economic viability is achieved only if carbon costs rise to 0.387 EUR/kg and diesel prices exceed 0.70 EUR/L. Under these conditions, a manageable deployment of fewer than 1000 units (equivalent to 77 GW) is sufficient to achieve economies of mass production. Conversely, lower carbon and fuel prices require over 10,000 units (770 GW), rendering their establishment impractical.