It requires neither electrolyzers nor carbon capture systems, and is extracted at estimated costs ranging from $0.5 to $1.5 per kilogram, far more affordable than green hydrogen and finally competitive with fossil fuels. Work is underway to understand how much exists and how quickly it regenerates, but it could change the energy world
For a long time it was ignored, confused with other gases, or considered too scarce to matter. Today, however, white hydrogen is at the center of growing global interest. Like oil, it is not produced: it is discovered. It is already present underground and could become one of the cleanest and most accessible resources of the energy transition.
Unlike green, blue or grey hydrogen, white hydrogen does not come from industrial processes but from natural reactions occurring deep within the Earth. The main one is serpentinization, when water penetrates iron- and magnesium-rich mantle rocks: iron “captures” oxygen from water and releases hydrogen. Natural radioactivity, fault movements, or deep microbial activity can also contribute to its formation.
The result is a gas that continues to regenerate (although we do not yet know at what rate), making it a potentially renewable source. Not a fossil of the past, but a living form of energy.
The phenomenon is not new. As early as 1888, Dmitri Mendeleev, father of the periodic table, identified hydrogen in a Ukrainian deposit. But only recently has its importance been reassessed. The breakthrough came in 2018, when in the village of Bourakébougou in Mali, a water well unexpectedly began burning: it was pure hydrogen. Since then, scientific and industrial interest has surged.
In recent years, several governments and major energy companies have begun to see white hydrogen as a strategic lever for decarbonization. Not because it is already ready to compete with oil and gas, but because its potential cost—and the possibility that it may naturally regenerate—opens scenarios that only a decade ago would have seemed like science fiction. This shift in perspective explains why the topic has entered the political and industrial agendas of much of the world.
Today, more than 40 companies worldwide are engaged in exploring natural hydrogen deposits, with ongoing research in Australia, Canada, France, Spain, the United States, and even Italy, where the NHEAT project, coordinated by CNR, Sapienza University and INGV, aims to map areas potentially rich in this gas.
Geological maps and chemical analyses suggest that Switzerland—and the Alpine region more broadly—may also host natural hydrogen reserves. The formation of the Alps, caused by the collision of tectonic plates, brought mantle rocks rich in iron close to the surface, materials known for generating hydrogen through geochemical reactions. Early studies in Graubünden and Valais show encouraging signs: active production zones may exist at depth, true “hydrogen kitchens.”
Despite this potential, the idea of a Switzerland transformed into a new “hydrogen paradise” remains distant. Globally, it has not yet been demonstrated that exploiting natural hydrogen is economically viable, with the partial exception of geothermal wells in Iceland. The regulatory framework is also an obstacle: mining legislation would need to be updated, as recently happened in France, since Cantons currently hold authority over exploration permits. In the most optimistic scenario, drilling could begin in seven to eight years.
From an economic perspective, the potential is significant. In Mali, for example, Canada’s Hydroma extracts hydrogen at around $0.5 per kilogram, a cost that severely challenges green hydrogen, which remains between $4 and $6. In Spain and Australia, early estimates are around $1 per kilogram, depending mainly on gas purity and deposit depth.
Extraction techniques are similar to those used for natural gas, although hydrogen’s low molecular weight requires more advanced containment systems and materials. Several studies suggest that part of Italy’s gas pipeline network could be adapted without major interventions, although valve and compression points remain critical issues. In any case, despite having no direct emissions, the environmental impact of drilling and the stability of deposits remain open and important questions.
If, as recent studies suggest, reserves prove to be abundant and renewable, the implications would be enormous. White hydrogen could reshape the global energy map, reducing dependence on oil and gas and opening new opportunities for Europe as well.
An energy that is not only extracted, but that is born and reborn in the depths of the planet. After centuries spent searching for energy on the surface, we may discover that the cleanest solution was hidden beneath our feet all along.
