It’s not wind or the Sun: This is the clean fuel source hidden under mountains that can change the energy industry
New research suggests that the clean-burning gas can be harvested and used to combat climate change.
Scientists have discovered large quantities of white hydrogen underneath mountains, a clean-burning gas that could, in theory, be extracted and use to create energy in a clean and sustainable way.
Also known as “natural” or “geologic” hydrogen, the gas exists in huge amounts underneath the Earth’s crust, with recent research highlighting the substance as potential replacements for climate-damaging fossil fuels. It was discovered in Mali in the 1980s, when someone leaned over a water well with a lit cigarette in their mouth, inviting an explosion as the flame came into contact with the gas. Since then, the well has been covered an uncovered, and now provides power to the village.
The key reason why hydrogen-based energy is so tantalising is that it only produces water when burned, with aviation and steel-making industries highlighted as possible avenues for development, given how much energy they need.
White hydrogen ‘has never been explored as an option for energy’
Published in the journal Science Advances, it was explained that those working on the problem highlighted the Pyrenees and other European mountain ranges as potential spots for tests, with computer models being used to simulate the movement of the planet’s tectonic plates; Spain, France and Switzerland have all expressed interest in looking for the gas.
“We have known that nature produces hydrogen, but it has never really been explored as an option for energy production,” Frank Zwaan, a study author and geologist at the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Germany told CNN.
At present, a few key problems remain: while scientists know the gas exists, they are not quite sure where large-enough deposits lie that could satiate the appetite that humankind has for consuming energy. As well as that, potential leaks could be catastrophic: “The earth has many locations where the right conditions co-exist to naturally produce and accumulate hydrogen, which can then be extracted for societal use,” Dr Michael Webber, a professor in energy resources at the University of Texas, Austin, USA, told Euronews Green. “As with other sources of hydrogen, [natural hydrogen] needs to be handled with care to reduce safety risks and avoid leaks,” he added.
The numbers speak volumes:
— Youssef El Manssouri (@yoemsri) April 4, 2025
14% hydrogen at 1,100m and 20% at 1,250m in Moselle.
Total find: 92 million tons of natural hydrogen.
One of the largest white hydrogen deposits ever found. pic.twitter.com/kKJuBORpcn
“The good news is that by letting the earth do the work for us, this source of hydrogen is likely much cleaner to produce than current methods of gasifying coal, reforming methane, or electrolysing water”, he concluded.
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