Hydroma talks up Mali's subsurface hydrogen potential

Market: Hydrogen
10/05/23

Mali's subsurface reservoirs of naturally occurring hydrogen could contain millions of tonnes a year, according to a Canadian company that wants to exploit the resource.

Hydroma is carrying out initial studies for a 100MW power plant that would use naturally occurring hydrogen for local electricity generation. It plans to apply for funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund (GCF), and has undertaken a pilot project locally.

Hydroma hopes to undertake larger projects once it has proved the concept makes sense financially, its strategy and development director Asma Diallo said at the Africa Hydrogen Forum in Rotterdam this week.

The company commissioned Calgary-based Chapman Petroleum Engineering to evaluate the extent of the reserves by drilling 30 exploration wells. This assessment found the hydrogen occurs with 98pc purity, Diallo said.

The use of hydrogen for power could increase access to electricity in Mali. The World Bank said this reached only half the population in 2020.

Hydroma is also exploring using the hydrogen to power fuel-cell trains, in a timeline of 5-10 years. This would avert the lengthy and costly installation of electrified train lines, Diallo said.

The hydrogen in Mali will probably be used locally because the political situation would make it difficult to finance a pipeline for exports, Diallo said. During its last drilling campaign, some of the company's containers were blocked at the border for months, she said, and the challenge of political risk could be overcome with higher spending on security.

The situation in Mali remains volatile, with escalating clashes between armed groups having displaced 30,000 people since the beginning of 2022 according to the UN.

The prospects for natural hydrogen — sometimes also referred to as white hydrogen or gold hydrogen — have generally been treated with scepticism. But expectations for increasing hydrogen demand and — at least in the short term — high costs for production by electrolysis appear to have heightened interest in prospecting for the gas. It is unclear whether natural hydrogen could make a meaningful contribution to global hydrogen supply, as many researchers are still gauging reserves.

By Aidan Lea

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