A dual pressure plant for the production of nitric acid, comprising: - an air compressor, operable to pressurize air to a pressure ranging from 2 bar to 6 bar (low pressure, LP); - a converter, operating at a low pressure, operable to be fed with a stream of an ammonia/pressurized air mixture at low pressure, to oxidize the ammonia and to produce an LP gaseous NO x gas/steam mixture, comprising water and NO; - a NO x gas compressor, operable to elevate the pressure of a gaseous NO x stream from a low pressure to a pressure ranging from 9 bar to 16 bar (high pressure, HP), resulting, at its downstream side, in an HP gaseous NO x stream; - an absorber unit, operating at a high pressure, operable to react the nitrogen oxides contained in the HP gaseous NO x stream with water, wherein the absorber unit provides an output product stream containing nitric acid and dissolved nitrogen oxides, and a tail gas; and - a bleacher unit, operable to strip dissolved nitrogen oxides away from the output product stream with a stripping medium, providing a stripped nitric acid stream and a NO x -loaded stripping gas; wherein - the bleacher unit operates at a high pressure, which is about equal to the pressure at which the absorber unit is operating; - the bleacher unit is in fluid communication with a source of HP oxygen-rich gas, for providing the bleacher unit with an HP oxygen-rich gas as a stripping medium; - the plant comprises means for directing the NO x -loaded stripping gas to the downstream side of the NO x gas compressor; the plant being characterised in that if further comprises - a high-pressure water electrolyser, in fluid communication with the bleacher unit for providing the high-pressure oxygen-rich gas to be used as the stripping medium, alone or mixed with pressured air or any other suitable gas. - an air compressor, operable to pressurize air to a pressure ranging from 2 bar to 6 bar (low pressure, LP); - a converter, operating at a low pressure, operable to be fed with a stream of an ammonia/pressurized air mixture at low pressure, to oxidize the ammonia and to produce an LP gaseous NO x gas/steam mixture, comprising water and NO; - a NO x gas compressor, operable to elevate the pressure of a gaseous NO x stream from a low pressure to a pressure ranging from 9 bar to 16 bar (high pressure, HP), resulting, at its downstream side, in an HP gaseous NO x stream; - an absorber unit, operating at a high pressure, operable to react the nitrogen oxides contained in the HP gaseous NO x stream with water, wherein the absorber unit provides an output product stream containing nitric acid and dissolved nitrogen oxides, and a tail gas; and - a bleacher unit, operable to strip dissolved nitrogen oxides away from the output product stream with a stripping medium, providing a stripped nitric acid stream and a NO x -loaded stripping gas; - the bleacher unit operates at a high pressure, which is about equal to the pressure at which the absorber unit is operating; - the bleacher unit is in fluid communication with a source of HP oxygen-rich gas, for providing the bleacher unit with an HP oxygen-rich gas as a stripping medium; - the plant comprises means for directing the NO x -loaded stripping gas to the downstream side of the NO x gas compressor; - a high-pressure water electrolyser, in fluid communication with the bleacher unit for providing the high-pressure oxygen-rich gas to be used as the stripping medium, alone or mixed with pressured air or any other suitable gas.