BBC: Naturally occurring "white hydrogen" lies in vast reservoirs beneath our feet - now the gold rush is beginning

"Fairy Circles" in Africa - white hydrogen naturally bubbles to the surface- for Years! Image: Alain Prinzhofer

BBC: Naturally occurring "white hydrogen" lies in vast reservoirs beneath our feet - now the gold rush is beginning

The precious 'white gold' fuel buried in the Earth

BBC | Chloe Farand | 24th July 2025

Naturally occurring "white hydrogen" lies in vast reservoirs beneath our feet – now the gold rush of the clean energy era is beginning.

Investors had lost faith in Edwin Drake's obsessive hunt for oil when the American entrepreneur finally struck black gold in an underground reservoir in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859. The discovery spurred an exploration frenzy that launched the modern oil age.


Now, a new generation of wildcatters are racing to replicate that Titusville moment, hoping to bring about the dawn of a major new energy resource. However, it's not fossil fuels they are looking for, but a commercially viable source of natural – and low-carbon – hydrogen.


Hydrogen, the smallest, simplest and lightest molecule on Earth, is currently used mainly for refining and chemical industries, such as producing ammonia for fertilisers. The vast majority of this hydrogen is made from polluting methane gas or coal gasification...more
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250723-the-worlds-race-to-drill-for-natural-white-hydrogen

What is WHITE HYDROGEN ? | Explained