As companies worldwide race to increase their green hydrogen production capacity to power heavy industry and transport in support of a green transition, others are looking to naturally occurring hydrogen, also known as white, gold or geologic hydrogen, as the solution. Since the energy source was discovered in Mali in 2012, interest in its development has been slow due to the lack of knowledge about how much white hydrogen there is around the globe and exactly where to find it. However, the development of several new projects, in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, has raised hopes among energy producers.
Researchers first found naturally occurring hydrogen in Mali in 2012 when they discovered that a borehole, which had been drilled several decades earlier, was emitting white hydrogen. The hydrogen is thought to have been produced through water and iron-rich mineral reactions under the Earth’s surface. The great thing about white hydrogen is that it is continually renewed, making it highly sustainable. Following the discovery, geologists have been looking for ways to extract the clean energy source.
Dr Michael Webber, a professor in energy resources at the University of Texas, explained, “The earth has many locations where the right conditions co-exist to naturally produce and accumulate hydrogen, which can then be extracted for societal use.” He continued, “The good news is that by letting the earth do the work for us, this source of hydrogen is likely much cleaner to produce than current methods of gasifying coal, reforming methane, or electrolysing water.”
After several years of exploration, researchers worldwide are hopeful that they may be able to finally exploit the naturally occurring energy source to support a green transition. In recent months, investor interest in white hydrogen has increased. Some major mining and energy companies have backed investment in white hydrogen research and development activities over the last year, including Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom, and BP. Several exploratory projects are now taking place around the globe, including in Canada, the U.S., and France. Thanks to greater investment, researchers expect the next year to be critical for understanding the energy source better and assessing its viability.
Some energy experts are less optimistic about the potential to exploit white hydrogen, pointing out that it is scattered around the world with little understanding about where to find it and how to tap into it. Rystad Energy’s head of research, Minh Khoi Le, said the future of white hydrogen is hard to predict at present while suggesting that a “white gold rush” is currently taking place.
“I guess last year was the year that things got really interesting for the natural hydrogen space because that’s when many companies started to plan drilling campaigns, extraction testing and we started to see some major players start to get involved as well,” said Le. “Since then, I would say the progress has been relatively slow. There are only a few companies that have actually started drilling.”
This uncertainty has not stopped some major players from backing white hydrogen. In 2024, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos were just two of the financial backers of the U.S.-based clean fuel startup Koloma, which has raised over $400 million to date. Aaron Mattson, the CEO of Mafic Consulting Group, stated, “Koloma announced over six months ago, through High Plains Resources, that they had found significant concentrations in one of their wells in Kansas… The degree to which it can be commercially extracted remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Eric Toone, the chief technology officer at Breakthrough Energy, believes that white hydrogen deposits are far more abundant than many researchers think. “We know it’s out there and not just in isolated pockets. Early exploration has identified natural hydrogen across six continents. The challenge now is figuring out how to extract it efficiently, move it safely, and build the systems to put it to work,” explained Toone.
One area being explored is France, following the discovery of white hydrogen in abandoned mines in the Lorraine region in 2023. Further exploration in March this year in the nearby Moselle area revealed additional reserves. The deposits are thought to have a combined 92 million tons of hydrogen, with a value of approximately $92 billion. Now, the question is how to extract the energy source safely, as neither France nor other countries undertaking assessment activities have a clear regulatory framework in place for natural hydrogen exploration and production.
The exploration of naturally occurring hydrogen reserves is in the nascent phase, with very little known about where the energy source exists and why it is there. While there are high hopes around the renewable nature of white hydrogen, it could take years of more research and development in various locations around the world to properly understand the extent of the reserves, as well as how to extract and sustain the energy source.
By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com
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