Steam reforming of methane has been carried out aimed at the development of new and highly active catalysts for H-2 production. The catalytic properties of Ni catalysts supported on various supports have been investigated in connection with characterization results obtained from XRD, H-2 chemisorption, TPR and CO2-TPD. Among the catalysts examined, Ni/Ce-ZrO2 exhibited the best activity and stability. The remarkable catalytic performance is interpreted as a combined result of high oxygen storage capacity of ceria in Ce-ZrO2, strong interaction between Ni and Ce-ZrO2, basic property of the catalyst and rather high capability of H-2 uptake. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.