The discovery of vast natural hydrogen deposits worldwide has triggered a modern-day energy gold rush, with oil majors, mining giants, and startups scrambling to secure stakes in what could become a $1.5 trillion market by 2035. Recent drilling in Nebraska’s Sandhills revealed a hydrogen reservoir containing an estimated 1.5 million metric tons—enough to power 30 million homes for a year.

Key Developments:

• Oil Giants Pivot: Shell and Chevron have allocated $4 billion combined for hydrogen exploration in Australia and West Africa.

• Mining Expansion: BHP and Rio Tinto are retrofitting copper mines in Chile to extract hydrogen as a byproduct.

• Startup Boom: In 2024 alone, 47 emerging companies—including names like HyTerra and Koloma—secured a combined $2.3 billion in funding.

Science Breakthroughs:
As prospectors race to stake claims on Earth’s newly quantified 30-trillion-ton hydrogen reserve, Oman’s naturally occurring 93% pure seeps reveal nature may have already perfected clean fuel production.

Challenges Ahead:

• Storage limitations (hydrogen embrittles steel pipelines)

• Flammability risks (4x more explosive than natural gas)

• Lack of global regulatory frameworks