With the global transition to low-carbon energy, hydrogen is receiving increasing attention. An Alberta-based energy company plans to begin searching for natural gas, natural hydrogen, in northern Ontario in the summer of 2024.
The discovery of the world's first natural hydrogen deposit in West Africa has sparked global attention to natural hydrogen. Denis Brière is hoping he can make a breakthrough in Canada. Denis Brière is vice president of Chapman Hydrogen and Petroleum Engineering in Calgary, which plans to begin testing and drilling in northern Ontario in the summer of 2024 in hopes of finding enough underground hydrogen to produce and sell.
For a long time, it was believed that natural hydrogen could not exist in nature, and there was not even the idea of looking for natural hydrogen. Today, however, much has changed. Many experts believe that hydrogen is an important fuel to help decarbonize the global economy, and that hydrogen does not emit CO2 during combustion or industrial applications.
In some other parts of the world, including Spain, Germany, Australia and the United States, a similar gold rush is taking place.
Hydrogen was first discovered in 1987 by Montreal-based Hydroma while drilling water wells in Mali. At first, the 100-metre-deep well was considered a failure because no water was produced. But the next day, a driller inadvertently ignited the gas in the well, causing a fire that took a month to extinguish. It was decades before the well regained attention. Brière was involved in 2012 to help determine exactly what was inside the well. Laboratory tests have shown that the well contains 98% pure hydrogen.
In 2014, the Bulicab well in Mali began producing hydrogen, and it remains the only natural hydrogen field in the world that has been developed.
Denis Brière was involved in the first discovery of natural hydrogen in Mali and is now involved in the search for hydrogen deposits in Canada. （kyle bakx/cbc）
The discovery of natural hydrogen in West Africa is not unique. In particular, the presence of natural hydrogen has also been discovered in France, and there is likely to be more natural hydrogen production capacity in the coming years. Just last month, France's Macron pledged to invest heavily in the natural hydrogen industry.
Across the globe, exploration for natural hydrogen is starting to take off, Denis Brière said. We certainly don't want to miss out on opportunities in Canada. Because the rocks of Mali are the same as the rocks of the Canadian guilder. Denis Brière and his team will collect water, gas and rock samples in areas around Timmings and Sudbury in northern Ontario. The next step will be to drill and see what's underground.
In search of "hydrogen" journey
Hydrogen is already used in many industries, such as oil refineries and fertilizer plants. In Canada, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been used in power trains, locomotives, buses, and semi-trucks.
Hydrogen produced from natural gas is known as grey hydrogen. Whereas, hydrogen produced from renewable electricity is known as green hydrogen. Green hydrogen emits less but costs more.
Natural hydrogen is also known as white hydrogen. Scientists have not yet fully understood how it accumulates, where it comes from underground, or whether it can penetrate the surface. But it is probably the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly gas**. However, finding natural hydrogen deposits can be a challenge, especially if the natural hydrogen reserves are large enough to be profitable.
Shell's Scottford complex in Alberta, a plant that uses water and natural gas to produce hydrogen for a nearby refinery. (Kyle Bakx CB).
Mali's natural hydrogen facility produces about five tonnes of hydrogen per year. The mineral deposits found in France are estimated to contain a total of 2500 million tons of hydrogen. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are approximately 100,000 megatonnes of (natural) hydrogen available worldwide, which represents the ability to supply the world for hundreds of years**
Since November 2022, the Geological Survey of Canada has been building a database of potential deposits. Mapping will take several years, but the process has identified potential sites in several provinces.
Omid Ardakani, a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada, said Canada has great potential for the discovery of natural hydrogen due to its vast territory and many rock types. More than 50% of Canada is covered by potential source rocks.
While the exploration is exciting, Omid Ardakani also points out that the commercialization of natural hydrogen requires a lot of groundwork and time, including further scientific research and technological innovation, as well as regulations and policies.
The Geological Survey of Canada is also exploring the potential to store underground hydrogen in salt mines and caves in different regions. Areas for helium extraction in Saskatchewan and Alberta may be suitable, as well as the ** belt in British Columbia.
Meanwhile, Denis Brière is eagerly awaiting spring in northern Ontario for the ground to thaw so he can begin fieldwork on the ground.
He said the hydrogen "expedition" was a bit like the situation in oil extraction in the early 1900s. Many people are scrambling to discover, explore, and see how much hydrogen is in.
***fuelcellchina-news