White Hydrogen: there is a worldwide race in search of this underground wealth
As companies around the world race to increase their green hydrogen production capacity to power heavy industry and transportation in support of a green transition, others are looking to natural hydrogen, also known as white, gold or geological hydrogen, as a solution.
Since this energy source was discovered in Mali in 2012, interest in its development has been slow due to a lack of knowledge about how much white hydrogen there is in the world and where exactly to find it. However, the development of several new projects, in Europe, Africa and America, has raised hopes among energy producers.
Natural, or golden, hydrogen generator in Bourakebougou, Mali
Researchers first found natural hydrogen in Mali in 2012 , when they discovered that a well drilled several decades earlier was emitting white hydrogen . Hydrogen is thought to have been produced through reactions of water and iron-rich minerals beneath the Earth's surface. The beauty of white hydrogen is that it continually renews itself, through a process called serpentinization , making it highly sustainable. Following the discovery, geologists searched for ways to extract this clean energy source.
Dr. Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas, explained : “The Earth has many places where the right conditions exist to naturally produce and store hydrogen, which can then be extracted for use by society.” The good news is that by letting the earth do the work for us, this source of hydrogen is likely to be much cleaner to produce than current methods of gasifying coal, reforming methane, or electrolyzing water.”
After several years of exploration, researchers around the world hope to finally harness this natural energy source to support a green transition. In recent months, investor interest in white hydrogen has increased. Over the past year, some major mining and energy companies have supported investments in white hydrogen research and development, including Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Russian state energy company Gazprom and BP. Several exploration projects are currently underway around the world, including Canada, the United States and France. Thanks to increased investments, researchers expect the next year to be crucial in better understanding this energy source and evaluating its feasibility.
Serpentinization
Some energy experts are less optimistic about the potential for exploiting white hydrogen, pointing out that it is scattered around the world and that it is not clear where to find it and how to exploit it. Rystad Energy's head of research, Minh Khoi Le, said the future of white hydrogen is currently difficult to predict, suggesting there is a " white gold rush " underway.
“I think last year was the year that things got really interesting for the natural hydrogen space, because that's when a lot of companies started planning drilling campaigns, extraction tests, and we started to see some big players starting to get involved as well,” Le said . "Since then, I would say progress has been relatively slow. Very few companies have actually started drilling."
This uncertainty hasn't stopped some big players from backing white hydrogen. In 2024, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos were just two of the backers of the US startup Koloma , which raised over $400 million. Aaron Mattson, managing director of Mafic Consulting Group, said : “ Koloma announced more than six months ago, through High Plains Resources, that it had found significant concentrations in one of its wells in Kansas… It remains to be seen to what extent it can be mined commercially .”
Serpentine rock, produced by serpentinization
Meanwhile, Eric Toone, chief technology officer at Breakthrough Energy, believes that white hydrogen deposits are much more abundant than many researchers think. "We know it's out there and not just in isolated pockets. Early explorations have found natural hydrogen on six continents. The challenge now is to figure out how to extract it efficiently, move it safely and build the systems to make it work," Toone explained.
One area being explored is France, following the discovery of white hydrogen in abandoned mines in the Lorraine region in 2023. In March this year, further exploration in the nearby Moselle area revealed further reserves . The deposits are believed to have a total of 92 million tons of hydrogen, worth about $92 billion . Now it is a question of understanding how to extract the energy source safely, since neither France nor other countries undertaking evaluation activities have a clear regulatory framework for the exploration and production of natural hydrogen.
The exploration of natural reserves of hydrogen is in its nascent stage, with very little information on the existence of this energy source and why it is there. While there are high hopes for the renewable nature of white hydrogen, it may take years of research and development in various locations around the world to adequately understand the extent of the reserves, as well as how to extract and sustain the energy source.
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The article White Hydrogen: there is a worldwide race to search for this underground wealth comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/idrogeno-bianco-ce-una-corsa-mondiale-alla-ricerca-di-questa-ricchezza-sotterranea/ on Sun, 04 May 2025 08:00:49 +0000.