NewHydrogen evaluates Utah site as pilot plant location for thermochemical hydrogen production

NewHydrogen is evaluating a research facility in Utah as a potential pilot plant that would use heat rather than electricity as its primary energy source to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The company has signed a non-binding cooperation agreement with the San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL) in Utah to assess the facility in Orangeville. The initial study will examine available infrastructure, utilities and permitting requirements as NewHydrogen prepares what it describes as the next phase of its ThermoLoop technology.

The potential of thermochemical water splitting

Most clean hydrogen production today relies on electrolysis, using electricity to separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Thermochemical water splitting takes a different approach, using high-temperature heat and chemical reactions to drive the separation. The U.S. Department of Energy sees thermochemical water splitting as a potential pathway for producing hydrogen using heat from concentrated solar power and advanced nuclear reactors. Depending on the process, required temperatures range from roughly 500°C to 2,000°C. ThermoLoop is one variant NewHydrogen is attempting to develop, designed to operate through near-isothermal chemical reactions.

The company says its process uses specially developed materials that cycle between phases, allowing the reaction to occur at nearly the same temperature throughout. NewHydrogen says its current work is aimed at operating below 1,000°C. That matters because producing hydrogen by electrolysis requires large amounts of electricity, whereas thermochemical systems could potentially use heat directly. However, the economics depend heavily on the cost and availability of the heat source, as well as the efficiency, durability and cost of the chemical materials and reactors. These are significant challenges for thermochemical hydrogen broadly. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that researchers still need to improve the durability and efficiency of reaction materials and develop reactors that can reliably operate through repeated high-temperature cycles.

Advantages of the Utah facility

Utah could offer a useful testing environment. The proposed pilot would be far smaller than NewHydrogen's ultimate commercial ambitions. The company describes it as a bridge between engineering test units and potential gigawatt-scale hydrogen production. USREL may provide an interesting site for that transition. The Orangeville facility features more than 30,000 square feet of research space and more than 40 acres of state-controlled land, with additional adjacent industrial property. Its activities span nuclear energy, power cycle technologies, solar and manufacturing.

The facility is also becoming a testing ground for advanced nuclear technologies. USREL is hosting projects involving companies such as Valar Atomics and NuCube Energy, giving the site experience with high-temperature nuclear systems and industrial heat applications. That aligns with NewHydrogen's longer-term plans. The company has proposed coupling ThermoLoop with heat from small modular reactors, potentially using nuclear heat directly to produce hydrogen rather than first converting heat to electricity.

The companies are only evaluating whether the site is suitable, and the cooperation agreement is non-binding. If the assessment leads to a future deployment, it would provide a useful test of whether NewHydrogen's heat-driven approach can move beyond laboratory demonstration toward larger-scale, sustained operation. That transition is the technology's biggest test. Producing hydrogen in a lab is one challenge; sustaining chemical materials, heat transfer, reactor operation and hydrogen output continuously and economically is another. This evaluation is not yet a milestone for hydrogen production; it is an early step toward understanding whether ThermoLoop can transition from a laboratory technique to an operating pilot plant.

Challenges and opportunities for thermochemical hydrogen production

NewHydrogen's evaluation work is not only a technical exploration but also carries profound implications for the future of hydrogen production. Successful implementation of thermochemical water splitting could deliver lower energy consumption and costs for hydrogen production, particularly when paired with nuclear and solar energy sources. However, commercialization still faces multiple challenges, including material durability and reactor efficiency. The Utah facility offers an ideal testing platform to support further development of the technology and to help assess its viability in real-world operation.