French energy company FDE made a surprising discovery in Folschviller in 2022 when it was looking for methane in the soil. At a depth of about 1,250 meters, samples taken from the drill hole found high concentrations of natural, geological hydrogen.
The discovery was made from the former coal mine area in Lorraine near the German border. Researchers have estimated that the soil may contain up to 46 million tonnes of geological hydrogen.
Several international media have estimated the discovery at about $ 92 billion, or about $ 83 billion. The estimate is based on the supposed market price of approximately $ 2,000 per tonne. However, since the geological hydrogen is so far not widely used commercially, it is still difficult to determine the actual value.
The FDE is now planning a new test drilling in the village of Pontpierre, about five kilometers from the original discovery site. By the end of 2025, the company plans to drill a four -kilometer -deep hole to strengthen the occurrence of hydrogen and evaluate its commercial potential. French network media actu tellsthat the authorities have given permission for drilling in February.
The aim of the new drilling is to get more detailed information on how hydrogen is formed and how significant the occurrence is. The first research results are expected to be completed in early 2026.
If the scope and usability of the discovery are strengthened, it may have a significant impact on the energy market. It would be by far the world’s largest known geological hydrogen occurrence.
The energy company FDE estimates to ACTU online media that the utilization of hydrogen could begin at the earliest after three years. However, the plans are still preliminary.
France Bleun, one of the French Broadcasting Company by Researchers believe that the actual formation zone of hydrogen may be located at a depth of 5-6 kilometers. In practice, the goal is now to find out what would be the most economically sensible drilling depth: this is estimated to be between 2 and 3 kilometers.