Paul Rodden • Season: 2025 • Episode: 408
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Welcome to The Hydrogen Podcast!
Is natural hydrogen the next big boom? In this episode of The Hydrogen Podcast, we cover three fascinating developments shaping the hydrogen economy—from massive new discoveries to fun, futuristic tech.
🔍 What’s Inside Today’s Episode:
🌍 1. Natural Hydrogen Boom? (OilPrice.com)
How rainwater + rock = white hydrogen
Massive underground reserves from Nebraska to France
$1–$2/kg production potential = major economic upside
Could natural hydrogen rival blue and green hydrogen?
🌊 2. Petronas Moves on Offshore CCS (Upstream Online)
5–10 million tons of CO₂ captured annually
Supports 1 million tons/year of blue hydrogen
$1–$1.5 billion CCS investment = $3–$4 billion hydrogen profit
Southeast Asia’s path to clean energy & hydrogen security
🤖 3. Kawasaki’s Hydrogen-Powered Robot Horse (MSN)
A rideable robot horse powered by hydrogen fuel cells
20 hours of runtime, zero emissions, rugged terrain capabilities
Perfect for scenic rides, disaster response, or ag-tech
Uses a 1-kg metal hydride tank—no NOx, SOx, or PM2.5!
💬 Key Takeaway:
While we focus on massive infrastructure and energy systems, don’t overlook the frontier of innovation—from natural hydrogen drilling to hydrogen-powered robotics. The hydrogen future isn’t just coming… it’s already here.
📈 Whether it’s new supply, smart carbon capture, or surprisingly cool applications, hydrogen continues to prove its versatility across the energy landscape.
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the podcast. Please feel free to email me at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com with any questions. Also, if you wouldn’t mind subscribing to my podcast using your preferred platform… I would greatly appreciate it.
Respectfully,
Paul Rodden
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Transcript:
Today, I’ll cover three exciting stories: first, the potential for a natural hydrogen boom, as reported by OilPrice.com; second, Petronas’ advancements in offshore carbon capture and storage, a key enabler for low-carbon hydrogen, from Upstream Online; and third, a fun and futuristic concept from Kawasaki—a hydrogen-powered rideable robot horse, as detailed by MSN. All of this on todays Hydrogen Podcast
Our first segment comes from an OilPrice.com article published on April 8th: Are We on the Cusp of a Natural Hydrogen Boom? Geologists are increasingly optimistic about natural hydrogen—also called white hydrogen—which forms when rainwater reacts with certain rocks underground, creating a renewable hydrogen source. Discoveries from Nebraska to France, and drilling programs in South Australia, are fueling excitement. The French government’s scientific agency estimates reserves that could attract major energy companies, while Australian drillers are set to test the commercial viability of these deposits by year-end.
Let’s break down the science. Natural hydrogen forms through serpentinization, where water reacts with iron-rich rocks like peridotite at 200-300°C, producing hydrogen gas (H2) and magnetite. This process emits zero CO2, NOx, SOx, or PM2.5, unlike hydrocarbon combustion. A typical deposit might yield 1 million tons of hydrogen, per geological estimates, enough to power 13,000 heavy-duty trucks for a year. Extraction involves drilling to 1-3 km in depth, similar to oil wells, with flow rates of 10-100 kg/hour per well, based on early tests in Mali.
Economically, natural hydrogen could be a game-changer. If extraction costs are $1-$2/kg—comparable to gray hydrogen—versus 3-4 for blue and $5-$6/kg for green hydrogen, a 1 million ton deposit is worth $1-$2 billion. A $100 million drilling program (10 wells, $10 million each) could yield $500 million in revenue at $1/kg, with a 20-25% IRR. Scaling to 10 million tons—$1 billion investment—creates 2,000 jobs and adds $150 million to local economies, per industry benchmarks. The global hydrogen market, $15 billion in 2025, could see natural hydrogen capture 10% ($1.5 billion) by 2030, per McKinsey projections.
The establishment narrative paints natural hydrogen as a silver bullet, but let’s be cautious. Finding deposits doesn’t guarantee commercial success—porosity and permeability issues can trap hydrogen, and drilling costs could rise if deposits are deeper than expected. Only 1% of surveyed sites globally have confirmed viable reserves, per Nature Communications. Still, natural hydrogen offers a zero-emission production method, avoiding the 1.5 million tons of NOx and 500,000 tons of PM2.5 from U.S. hydrocarbon-based hydrogen production, per EPA data. It’s a frontier worth watching as results roll in.
Our second segment comes from Upstream Online, published on April 10: Petronas advances offshore CCS project. Malaysia’s state-owned energy company, Petronas, is moving forward with a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project off Sarawak, starting a pipeline route survey in April 2025. This project, part of the Kasawari CCS initiative, aims to store 5-10 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030, supporting blue hydrogen production and reducing emissions from natural gas operations.
The technical details are compelling. The Kasawari field, producing 200 MMcfd of gas, emits 3-4 kg CO2/kg H2 when used for hydrogen via steam methane reforming (SMR). With CCS, Petronas captures 90-95% of emissions, reducing the carbon intensity to 0.3-0.4 kg CO2/kg H2, well below the EU’s 3.4 kg CO2/kg H2 threshold for low-carbon hydrogen. The CO2 is transported via a 200-km pipeline ($200 million at $1 million/km) to offshore depleted reservoirs, storing 5 million tons/year at $10/ton. This enables 1 million tons of blue hydrogen production annually, avoiding 1 million tons of NOx and 200,000 tons of SOx versus gray hydrogen (10 kg NOx/ton NH3 equivalent), per EPA estimates. The process uses 1-2 kWh/ton CO2 for compression, with minimal water use, unlike electrolysis’s 10 liters/kg H2.
Economically, the project costs $1-$1.5 billion, with $500 million for capture facilities, $200 million for pipelines, and $300-$800 million for storage infrastructure. Producing 1 million tons of blue hydrogen at $5-$6/kg generates $5-$6 billion in revenue, with production costs at $2/kg (adjusted for CCS), netting $3-$4 billion profit (15-20% IRR). The 45Q credit ($85/ton CO2) adds $425 million/year for 5 million tons captured, boosting IRR to 20-25%. The project creates 1,500 jobs and adds $100 million to Malaysia’s economy, per industry benchmarks. The global CCS market, $5 billion in 2025, could reach $50 billion by 2030, with Petronas targeting 5% ($2.5 billion).
The narrative of CCS as a ‘bridge’ technology is often oversold—methane leakage above 4% can negate benefits, per Nature Communications, and offshore storage risks seismic activity. However, Petronas’ project enables low-carbon hydrogen at scale, reducing particulate emissions and supporting energy security in Southeast Asia, where hydrocarbon reliance emits 2 million tons of NOx yearly, per regional data.
Our third segment comes from an MSN article dated April 7, 2025: Kawasaki unveils a rideable robot horse that runs on hydrogen and moves like an animal. Now, let’s take a break from the heavy economics and dive into something truly fun and futuristic from Kawasaki Heavy Industries. They’ve developed a four-legged robot horse powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, designed to navigate rugged terrain where wheeled robots struggle. I’ll be honest—I’m not entirely convinced this will make it to full commercial development, but it’s an exciting concept that I’d love to get my hands on and test drive through the mountains. Let’s explore what makes this robot horse so thrilling.
Kawasaki’s robot horse is a marvel of engineering, mimicking the natural movement of a real horse with articulated legs that allow it to traverse uneven terrain—think rocky mountain trails or disaster zones. It’s powered by a 1-kW fuel cell, operating at 60% efficiency, delivering 20 kWh/kg of energy. The robot consumes 1 kg of hydrogen per day, giving it 20 hours of operation and a range of 10 miles at a leisurely 0.5 mph—perfect for a scenic ride through the mountains. The hydrogen is stored in a 1-kg metal hydride tank at 35 bar, a compact and safe solution that avoids the high pressures of compressed gas or the extreme cold of liquid hydrogen. Unlike hydrocarbon-powered machines, which emit 0.1-0.2 g/kWh NOx and 0.01-0.02 g/kWh PM2.5, per EPA data, this fuel cell produces zero tailpipe emissions, releasing only water vapor. That means no contribution to the 2 million tons of NOx or 500,000 tons of PM2.5 emitted annually by U.S. heavy machinery, making it a clean option for remote operations.
What’s really exciting is the robot’s potential applications. It can carry a 100-kg payload, making it ideal for disaster response—delivering supplies to areas where drones can’t land—or in agriculture, monitoring crops over rough fields. Imagine riding this through the mountains, feeling the biomimetic legs adjust to every rock and slope, all while knowing you’re not leaving a trail of pollutants behind. Kawasaki also hints at future iterations using hydrogen derivatives like ammonia, which could extend range—a 10-kg ammonia tank at 5.5 kWh/kg provides 55 kWh, doubling the distance, though ammonia’s toxicity would need careful handling.
The establishment narrative often pushes hydrogen as a practical solution for every application, but this robot horse is more of a proof-of-concept—a fun glimpse into what hydrogen can do in niche, creative ways. The lack of refueling infrastructure—only 1,000 stations globally, per DOE data—and the weight of metal hydride tanks (50 kg/kg H2) make widespread adoption unlikely in the near term. But that doesn’t diminish the excitement. I’d love to take this robot horse for a spin in the Rockies, feeling the thrill of a hydrogen-powered ride while enjoying the clean mountain air, free of NOx, SOx, or PM2.5. Kawasaki, if you’re listening, let me know when I can test one out!
Alright, that’s it for me, everyone. If you have a second, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a good review on whatever platform you listen to. Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google, YouTube, etc. That would be a tremendous help to the show. And as always if you ever have any feedback, you are welcome to email me directly at info@thehydrogepodcast.com. So until next time, keep your eyes up and honor one another.
