Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos Back White Hydrogen Startup

Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos Back White Hydrogen Startup
By Felicity Bradstock - Sep 21, 2024

White hydrogen, a naturally occurring and constantly replenished source of clean energy, is gaining significant investor attention as a potential solution for decarbonizing heavy industries.

Recent discoveries of substantial white hydrogen deposits in France and other regions have fueled optimism about its commercial viability.

Companies like Koloma, backed by prominent investors like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, are actively exploring and developing white hydrogen extraction and utilization technologies.

Investors have been talking about the huge potential of green hydrogen – hydrogen produced through electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources – for several years now. It is thought to be the clean fuel of the future, supporting the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries such as shipping, aviation, and manufacturing. However, recently, investor interest has been growing for an alternative energy source – white hydrogen.

Although green hydrogen is a great alternative to fossil fuels, as it can be used for a range of applications to help decarbonise heavy industry, it is still extremely expensive to produce compared to fossil fuels and hydrogen produced using natural gas. In contrast, geologic hydrogen, also known as white hydrogen, is naturally occurring and can be extracted from the ground. While hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element on Earth, it was thought until recently that the gas was not present in its pure form within the Earth. However, in 2012, oil and gas workers digging a borehole in Mali accidentally discovered almost pure natural hydrogen.
Since this discovery, geologists have been assessing deposits in different areas around the world. White hydrogen is produced from the reaction of water with iron-bearing rocks; the iron corrodes, and pure hydrogen bubbles are formed in the Earth’s crust. However, in contrast to fossil fuels, which take millions of years to produce, white hydrogen is constantly replenished. White hydrogen is thought to be more prevalent in unreachable offshore locations, although several deposits have been found since 2012 in Mali, Australia, eastern Europe, France, Oman, Spain, and the U.S.

A major discovery of white hydrogen in the Lorraine mining basin of France was announced earlier this year, offering greater optimism around the potential use of the natural, clean energy source. By 2023, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research had been conducting its Regalor Project for four years, aimed at extracting exploitable methane resources. However, upon drilling, researchers found natural hydrogen deposits in the region, which could be exploited to support the green transition. Based on the gas data at 1,100 metres below ground, where the researchers discovered a concentration of 14 percent hydrogen, the Lorraine deposit could contain up to 46 million tonnes of white hydrogen, which is equivalent to over half of the world’s current annual production of grey hydrogen. ..more
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Bill-Gates-and-Jeff-Bezos-Back-White-Hydrogen-Startup.html