A large natural hydrogen find in northern France could be worth more than US$90 billion, as scientists for the first time reveal the potential scope of the breakthrough.
Scientists from France’s National Centre for Scientific Research have revealed the size of the potential resource found 1.25km underground in Lorraine’s Moselle area. They say there is potentially 46 million tons of natural (also known as white or gold) hydrogen underground at Folschviller, found a couple of years ago when the GeoResources laboratory was looking for methane gas in the area.
The announcements are hugely important in the worldwide natural hydrogen exploration arena, as most of the companies involved in the relatively new hunt for natural hydrogen are not publicly-listed and don’t have to release the results of their programs.
Australia’s Gold Hydrogen, publicly-listed and one of the first movers in the world, has successfully drilled for natural hydrogen on the first of its permits in South Australia. Over the past 24 months, the Company has announced its drilling and testing results which contained high purities of both hydrogen and helium, confirmed the presence of helium-3 within its system, and has conducted a regional seismic survey to help set targets for its 2025 drilling campaign. Gold Hydrogen’s work activities to date have focussed on its flagship Ramsey Project on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. The Company also has a number of exclusive application areas taking its total acreage footprint to in excess of 75,000 square kilometres. The Company has an independently assessed mean prospective resource of 1.3 billion kilograms (1.3 million tons) of hydrogen which incorporates only a portion of its Yorke Peninsula permit.
The French claims have been widely reported and European media outlets say such a find ”could rewrite energy strategies worldwide by offering a new supply of carbon-free fuel”.
Gold hydrogen is a naturally-occurring chemical element that does not need industrial processing. This sets it aside from green hydrogen which is processed using renewable energy, or the grey hydrogen derived from fossil fuels. This gives natural, or gold, hydrogen a massive cost advantage.
Euro News Weekly reported the French find was ”the equivalent of more than half the grey hydrogen produced each year worldwide but without the same environmental impact”.
It said Hydrogen was primarily used in chemical industry heat processes and fertiliser production, but in future it would be increasingly used for steel production and heavy transport. In the transition from fossil to green energy, it can also serve as a storage buffer for electricity during periods without sun and wind.
”Our research suggests that natural hydrogen could be far more abundant than previously thought,” said GeoRessources scientist Dr Jacques Pironon.
“If we can find efficient ways to extract and use it, we may have a powerful new tool in the fight against climate change.”
Euro Weekly coverage here.
The Interesting Engineering website also reported the new figures, and said it was significant for France.
”As the world moves toward greener energy solutions, France’s discovery of white hydrogen could mark the beginning of a new era in sustainable power,” it said.
Interesting Engineering coverage here.
Meanwhile, the recent 2025 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Seminar in California was headlined by Toyota Corporation reiterating hydrogen’s importance.
Toyota outlined its vision for achieving carbon neutrality, a plan that has an important role for hydrogen-powered technologies.
It hinted at a more pragmatic approach to hydrogen use, accepting targeting mass-market consumer vehicles would be a tougher market to crack.
It was now focussing mainly on heavy-duty trucks, stationary power, and industrial applications.
In coverage on the Coaches Database website, it said hydrogen fuel cell trucks offered a better alternative to battery-powered trucks. They can be refueled in approximately 15 to 20 minutes, similar to diesel trucks. They also have extended driving ranges.
The company is also developing stationary fuel cell systems that will power buildings and factories.
And in another development, Toyota’s Tri-Gen facility in Long Beach, California, already takes renewable biogas and converts it into three products: hydrogen, electricity, and water.
Coverage of the hydrogen seminar here.