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\u201cIf confirmed, this would be the largest potential natural hydrogen discovered to date in Europe,\u201d Philippe de Donato, co-director of research at the GeoRessouces laboratory at the University of Lorraine, told France 3 Grand-Est<\/a> at the end of May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, it is believed that the Lorraine basin could contain 46 million tonnes of natural hydrogen \u2013 equivalent to half the world\u2019s current hydrogen production \u2013 and enough to contribute to the EU\u2019s decarbonisation objectives significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natural hydrogen is naturally present in the Earth\u2019s crust and mantle, explains Isabelle Moretti, a researcher at the University of Pau and the Pays de l\u2019Adour. It can be found in several places: \u201cat ocean ridges, in the mountains with ophiolites, remnants of ancient oceanic rocks, but also in iron-rich rocks,\u201d she said in an interview with L\u2019Usine Nouvelle<\/a> in June 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The resource, which can be harnessed when it degases on the earth\u2019s surface or when extracted with boreholes, has been on scientists\u2019 radars for some time. But a broader interest in the resource arose as world nations sought to replace fossil gas with a clean-burning fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike hydrogen produced from natural gas or electrolysis, its natural counterpart requires no water and little energy to extract while taking up very little land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, its production is not subject to periods of instability and is even renewable, provided that \u201cwe adapt the rate of extraction to the rate of generation, as we do with hot water vapour in geothermal energy,\u201d Moretti added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, the Earth continuously produces natural hydrogen through chemical reactions that are mainly related to oxidation of ferrous iron minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these advantages make natural hydrogen a much cheaper resource than hydrogen produced from electrolysis. The price of natural hydrogen is estimated at \u20ac1 per kilo, while renewable hydrogen currently reaches \u20ac6, according to a position paper<\/a> published in February at the request of the European Commission by the Earth2 initiative, a French body bringing together industry and research groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these arguments mean that \u201cthis would be the lowest-carbon and cheapest hydrogen in the world,\u201d said Mikaa Mered, a hydrogen specialist and professor at Science-Po Paris who sits on the expert committee of the Forum Hydrogen Business for Climate<\/a> conference in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, natural hydrogen resources generated on Earth are plentiful, says Nicolas P\u00e9lissier, chairman of French start-up 45-8 Energy, which specialises in helium and natural hydrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to his estimates, these would greater than the 90 million tonnes of hydrogen currently produced worldwide, which is 98% fossil-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn France, it is possible to imagine quantities such that the country could be an exporter,\u201d Mered told EURACTIV. France could eventually produce three million tonnes a year, taking into account the resources of the Lorraine basin and the potential currently being studied in the Alps, New Caledonia and the Pyrenees, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This represents just under half of the 6.5 million tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen that the country hopes to produce by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But resources exist elsewhere in Europe, including Spain, Germany, Kosovo, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Serbia, Norway, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond Europe, Mali has been operating a well since 2014, while Namibia, Brazil, Canada and even the United States, which is currently drilling a well in Nebraska, are showing interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the moment, we are in the phase of evaluating the industrial potential of natural hydrogen,\u201d says P\u00e9lissier. \u201cWe need to continue developing and adapting new technologies, particularly exploration technologies, to address this issue properly,\u201d he told EURACTIV France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 45-8 Energy has been working on removing some technological barriers by way of a sensor for detecting and monitoring natural hydrogen underground \u2013 a project that has raised interest among major energy groups and public authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHuge potential in France<\/h3>\n\n\n\n