HGS May General Lunch

Geological (White) Hydrogen: Is It Too Good to be True?

by: Sharma Dronamraju, MS, MBA, PG

Wednesday, 20 May | 11:30 am – 1 pm

Woodside Energy, 1500 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056

Directions: Park in visitor parking and take a ticket; parking will be validated

Cost: $30 Members, $35 Non-members, $25 Students

Abstract:

Hydrogen production is a global market valued at approximately $150 billion and is projected to grow by more than 120% by 2030, requiring cumulative investments exceeding $300 billion. Although hydrogen is a carbon-free fuel at the point of use, most current production methods rely on fossil fuels and result in a substantial carbon footprint. In fact, the lifecycle emissions of conventional hydrogen production exceed those of natural gas and coal by approximately 20% and diesel by 60%. Green hydrogen, produced via water electrolysis using renewable energy, remains the only truly low-carbon option; however, limited renewable energy penetration and high costs constrain its scalability.

Geological hydrogen—also referred to as white or gold hydrogen—has emerged as a potentially transformative energy resource. First identified in 2012 during water well drilling in Mali, naturally occurring hydrogen with concentrations as high as 98% has since demonstrated its viability by supplying energy to local communities and industries. Ongoing exploration in the US, Australia, France, and Oman targets hydrogen accumulations associated with igneous and ultramafic rocks, including mantle-derived lithologies, dikes, and sills. Unlike hydrocarbons, geological hydrogen may be continuously generated through natural processes, offering a fundamentally different energy system.

The origin of geological hydrogen remains under active investigation, with leading hypotheses including radiolysis, serpentinization of iron-rich rocks, and the migration of primordial hydrogen along deep crustal structures. Preliminary estimates suggest wellhead production costs between $0.5 and $1.5 per kilogram, though current volumes are insufficient to meet global demand. Nevertheless, existing expertise and infrastructure from the oil and gas industry could be leveraged to accelerate exploration and development. Geological hydrogen represents a promising complement to the energy transition and may play a meaningful role in achieving global Net Zero objectives, with geoscientists positioned at the forefront of this emerging opportunity in the energy transition.

Bio of Sharma Dronamraju, MS, MBA, PG

Sharma Dronamraju is a Geoscientist and Director, AKD Professional Solutions in Houston, Texas, USA. He worked for operators Petrobras USA, Shell, Marathon Oil, and ONGC, and the service industry for over 30 years in upstream oil and gas. His expertise lies in geomodeling and rejuvenating mature oil & gas fields. He was associated with several field developments and exploration appraisals in the Gulf of Mexico (Stones, Lucius, Shanondoah, K2), deep-water Nigeria (Bonga, Usan, Agmbami, Bobo), Equatorial Guinea, and the South China Sea. Sharma’s recent work includes geomodeling for EOR in mature oil fields in Miocene Syn-rift clastics and carbonates and regional prospectively of Gulf of Suez, Egypt, heavy oil development in Powder River Basin in Lower Cretaceous incised valley fills (Newcastle Fm.), addressing subsurface heterogeneity of Mishrif Carbonates in Southern Iraq and reservoir modeling of HPHT fields in offshore East Malaysia and Borneo, remapping and modeling of mature Bombay high satellite fields, and revisiting missed exploration opportunities in offshore Mozambique and offshore Sabah. His recent interests include geological hydrogen and earth observation.

Sharma earned his Master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, and his MBA from Rice University. Sharma is a Professional Geologist licensed in Texas.  He serves on the Executive Board of the Houston Geological Society and has been a Member of the AAPG House of Delegates. He has offered several training courses for clients including Mature Fields Revitalization, Deepwater Depositional Systems and Analogs, Unitization of Oil & Gas fields, and Geomodeling for Oil Field Life Cycle.