Global Roundup: AI Nuclear Plans, CCS Challenges, Plastic-to-Hydrogen Tech

China is advancing a plan to integrate artificial intelligence throughout the nuclear energy lifecycle, a move highlighting the growing role of AI in critical energy infrastructure. According to OilPrice.com, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled the Accelerator-Driven Advanced Nuclear Energy System (ADANES) this week at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. The system aims to change the safety logic of conventional reactors, with AI processing operational signals to enable early shutdown during mishaps. Wang Shoujun, president of the Chinese Nuclear Society, stated that AI will play a core role in improving the quality, efficiency, and safety of nuclear energy.

However, the "black box" nature of current large language models presents a transparency challenge for stringent nuclear safety requirements. The ADANES architecture is designed to embed AI across five layers, from data infrastructure to system control, throughout a plant's full life cycle. China is also developing a national-scale engineering verification platform to support the system's long-term stability.

Meanwhile, the global boom in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is showing cracks, according to a separate OilPrice.com report. Despite significant investments from major oil firms like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron, several projects are underperforming. A review by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis of 13 operating CCS projects worldwide found most captured below their design target of 90%, with some failing outright. This highlights ongoing technical challenges and potential for cost escalation per tonne captured.

Government support for CCS remains strong in some regions. Germany recently launched a $5.7 billion Carbon Contracts for Difference scheme, and the UK in 2024 announced up to $29 billion in funding over 25 years for CCUS and hydrogen clusters. In Denmark, cement maker Aalborg Portland signed a $2.55 billion CCS contract, described by its CEO as among Europe's largest industrial CO2 capture projects.

In alternative energy research, scientists have discovered a method to convert plastic waste into pure hydrogen fuel. OilPrice.com reported that researchers from UCLA and Ewha Womans University developed an Alkaline Thermal Treatment (ATT) process. This single-reactor method can convert common, hard-to-recycle plastics like PET, polyethylene, and polypropylene into high-purity hydrogen with zero carbon emissions, without requiring plastic sorting.

Professor Ah-Hyung "Alissa" Park of UCLA stated the technology addresses two global problems simultaneously: accumulating plastic waste and the need for clean hydrogen to decarbonize energy. The findings were published this month in the journal PNAS. This breakthrough follows years of challenges for green hydrogen, which a 2022 International Renewable Energy Agency report cautioned may not be the most efficient use of renewable energy due to cost and resource allocation issues.