Gold Hydrogen – and the natural hydrogen phenomenon itself – has featured in two significant broadcasts on Japan’s national TV station.
The two slots – on NHK’s International News (12min segment) and its Good Morning Japan show (5min) – aired last week after a visit by a Japanese TV crew to Gold Hydrogen’s South Australia test drilling sites.
The TV anchors introduced the mini-documentary by saying they were putting the “spotlight on a new energy resource that is gathering such promise that it may revolutionize the world’s energy situation”.
They said the “pioneering research” being conducted in Australia by companies like Gold Hydrogen was vital for Japan to understand so it was not left behind if there was a worldwide rush to natural hydrogen.
The pieces highlighted that natural (or white) hydrogen had been nominated as a Breakthrough of the Year by the scientific journal “Science” last year and that one hydrogen well in Mali, Africa, has been producing for some years.
The longer piece cut to Gold Hydrogen’s Yorke Peninsula project and covered the test results last year which reconfirmed 100-year-old petroleum drilling results which found hydrogen at high levels. Gold Hydrogen realized the significance of the 1930s tests with hydrogen starting to be seen as a key to current carbon-zero goals.
Gold Hydrogen’s managing director, Neil McDonald, was quoted about natural hydrogen’s significant price potential against man-made hydrogen.
The show’s voice-over said: “Why is ‘white hydrogen’ attracting so much attention? The biggest reason is its low cost.”
After Mr McDonald’s interview, they said: “This company independently estimated production costs based on drilling costs in Mali, Africa. As a result, it became clear that while artificially produced hydrogen costs $5-10 per kg, ‘White Hydrogen’ could be produced at $1, by far the lowest cost.”
The show revealed the Japanese had taken a keen interest in the natural hydrogen developments and had sent a representative here to find out more.
“In the middle of last month, a representative of an independent Japanese government agency visited Australia,” the show said. They visited Perth to see hydrogen testing out West.
Hydrogen has previously been found in unknown quantities in Japan’s Nagano region.
A spokesman on the show said:“I can’t reveal the name of the company (that went to Perth), but I’ve been secretly consulting with them. Some Japanese companies are even considering it.”
Another expert said of Japan’s need to look at the Australian efforts: “If you work on natural hydrogen only after the prospect of extracting it has been established, there is a high possibility that you will be left behind.
“In the case of shale gas, Japanese companies invested in shale gas after it attracted attention and were forced to buy it at a very high price, and then lost money when energy prices fell. I think it is necessary to make preparation now to be able to keep track of important information.”
An anchor finished the segment by saying: “It seems that Japan will need to keep a close watch on the trend of this new energy source.”
The full International News segment can be found here; and the truncated Good Morning Japan piece is here.
Note that both pieces are voiced in Japanese, except for interviews with people like Mr McDonald.
Full translations of the TV shows can be viewed. The International News transcript is here; and the Good Morning Japan transcript is here.
Note that the translation was done for NHK using Artificial Intelligence insights, which may contain inaccuracies. Where speakers on the show used English, their quotes do not show in the translation/transcript.