Natural or native hydrogen deposits have been detected in several regions in France, including Aquitaine, Pyrenees and Lorraine, without it being possible if it is usable there as well on the technical and economic level, confirmed the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Monday, June 30.
“Native hydrogen flows have been detected on the surface in various French regions”declares Bercy, based on a report from the French Institute of Petroleum and New Energies (IFPEN). “The Aquitaine basin, the Pyrenean foothills and the Lorraine coal basin appear as potential areas in France”adds the ministry.
Until now, almost all of the hydrogen used in the world for refining petroleum products is extracted from natural gas (or methane, whose chemical formula is4) by the gas or petrochemical industry according to a process which issues a lot of CO2 in the atmosphere and contributes to the global warming. We then speak of gray hydrogen.
“Few” studies
A whole competitor industrial ecosystem tries with difficulty of imposing itself on a global scale to produce hydrogen so -called “green”, without emitting co2breaking the water molecule (h2O) With electricity, according to a water electrolysis process.
Called “white hydrogen”, native or natural hydrogen is a third category, naturally presents in the subsoil in the gas state. “As a promising and sovereign source of energy, the native hydrogen present in the basement of our territory could become a major asset for French energy sovereignty”estimates the ministry.
Nevertheless, “The studies devoted to it are still few and will have to be completed”warns the document, which judges “Necessary” exploration drilling for “Estimate the real potential of identified areas of interest”. This gas remains one of the most difficult to capture, transport and store because hydrogen is the smallest and most volatile of the molecules listed in the periodic table of the elements.
