Efficiency assessment of fuel cell implementation in the emergency power system of a NPP

The study is devoted to assessing the efficiency of replacing diesel generator sets (DGS) of the emergency power supply system with proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) power units at the research object – Units No. 3 and No. 4 of Leningrad NPP-2 equipped with VVER‑1200 reactors. Based on the analysis of the power reserve determined by the difference between the design and actual capacity factors, the equipment of the NPP’s hydrogen generation complex was selected to supply hydrogen to the PEMFC system. It is shown that the annual electrolysis output (≈ 2.27 million Nm³ H₂) exceeds the fuel cell demand, creating a surplus available for sale. The transition to PEMFC reduces the required area by a factor of 5.6, but the system mass increases due to the hydrogen storage receivers. The techno-economic analysis of the measure showed that at current prices the project option is inferior to the baseline (NPV –138 million USD vs. –114 million USD). The sensitivity analysis revealed that the specific cost of PEMFC is the key factor: its reduction to ~600 USD/kW achieves parity, while at 400 USD/kW the project solution becomes advantageous. The results indicate the prospects of integrating hydrogen fuel cells into the emergency power supply of NPPs in the medium term.

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