France's Lorraine mining basin could yield high-purity hydrogen at a depth of only 3,000 metres

A British oil exploration specialist says it has developed a way to locate underground hydrogen deposits, in an attempt to capitalise on rising excitement over the potential of naturally occurring clean fuel.

Leeds-based Getech has spent decades helping fossil fuel companies analyse geological data for crude oil and methane reserves. Now it has adapted its software techniques to hunt the so-called white hydrogen stored in the Earth’s crust.

Scientists posited more than 20 years ago that rocks deep under the earth’s surface might be harbouring the gas, but that getting to it could involve drilling down several kilometres. 

However, a deposit found in France this year could yield high-purity hydrogen at a depth of only 3,000 metres.

The US Geological Survey said in April that there is probably enough accessible hydrogen to meet total global demand for “hundreds of years”.

Getech says its software can identify “sweet spots” for the gas using models of the earth’s subsurface and artificial intelligence.

Chairman Richard Bennett said: “Natural hydrogen is anticipated to be a major future energy resource and we expect the exploration industry will be keen to utilise our expertise, especially given our reputation for successfully locating other types of energy sources and our ability to provide data simply and compatibility.”