Companies Search for Natural Hydrogen in Australia

By Josh Brine

ABC South East SA

Hydrogen Fuel

Monday, June 1, 2026, at 7:00 am

Gold Hydrogen is looking for natural hydrogen in South Australia.

In short:

Exploration for natural hydrogen is growing in Australia, with South Australia as a potential leader.

Natural hydrogen can replace natural gas and reduce emissions.

What's next?

Companies say it may take a few years to extract natural hydrogen if it's found in large amounts.

The search is on for underground hydrogen stores in Australia, especially in South Australia.

Natural hydrogen is seen as a more economic way to get hydrogen for energy.

In South Australia, companies have licenses to explore for hydrogen in deep rocks.

A university researcher says this hydrogen can help cut greenhouse gas emissions.

It's considered a clean fuel, like oil or natural gas, but cleaner.

The Energy Minister sees hydrogen as a potential game changer for industry.

He says hydrogen can revolutionize Australian and global industry.

This is like finding gold.

If we can get natural hydrogen, it will be a big change.

From grey to gold

The South Australian government gave licenses to explore for natural hydrogen in the Otway Basin.

One project is a joint venture between Thor Energy and H2EX, covering over 4,000 square kilometers.

The CEO of Thor Energy says most of the world's hydrogen is grey hydrogen.

Some industries want more environmentally friendly hydrogen sources.

There's been a lot of talk about manufactured green hydrogen, but the Earth naturally produces hydrogen.

Andrew Hume is positive about hydrogen's future.

A location near Robe has hydrogen with a 25% concentration.

They will explore and make sure the results are real.

If the results are good, they will have confidence in the right location.

On the Yorke Peninsula, Gold Hydrogen found hydrogen with 97% purity.

The company will do flow testing to see if the project is viable.

If all goes well, they hope to produce hydrogen in 18 to 24 months.

Gold Hydrogen's drilling found hydrogen with 97% purity.

Hydrogen can be used for energy, transport, and making fertilizers.

But having it on a large scale will take time.

They believe they can supply Australia's demands and export hydrogen.

Plenty of potential, but work to do

The Energy Minister sees natural hydrogen as a way to cut emissions from natural gas.

If natural hydrogen can be harvested, it can be mixed with natural gas to reduce emissions.

This means they can offset gas use with a naturally occurring product.

It's not as dense as natural gas, but it's readily available and cheaper to produce.

Hydrogen can help reduce emissions from industrial processes.

The state government planned to build a green hydrogen plant, but it was canceled.

If natural hydrogen can be harvested, the cost implications will be significant.

Rachelle Kernen says interest in hydrogen will move in cycles.

Despite the positivity, the industry's viability still has a way to go.

There will be periods where it's good, and then it will slow down.

It's a great time to raise money and test ideas.

Then it will slow down, and the next cycle will start.

These things develop, and then they become the norm.

Australia is emerging as a leader in natural hydrogen exploration.

Exploration is spreading globally, including in the US, Canada, and France.

There's only one example of production, in the African country of Mali.

This is a very new industry.

They need to find economically viable ways to produce hydrogen.

While excited, the Energy Minister says there are still questions to answer.

How do you get hydrogen out of the ground, store it, and get it to market?

These are questions the private sector will have to answer.

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