Natural hydrogen found? | State-owned oil company analysing five sites across South Korea
Korea National Oil Corporation says it has been searching for naturally occurring H2 since last year, and is now investigating possible discoveries
State-owned Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) says it may have found naturally occurring hydrogen underground at five locations across South Korea.
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KNOC revealed this week that has been searching for natural H2 in the country since last year, measuring gases emerging from different soils, and applied for a patent for its new hydrogen-detecting probe earlier this week.
Initial research seems to have pinpointed the presence of hydrogen in the soil at the five undisclosed locations, and the company is now carrying out studies to confirm and precisely analyse what lies under the surface.
This ground survey work will utilise its experience in geology, geophysics and drilling, as well as its own patented hydrogen exploration and monitoring technology, KNOC says.
“If the corporation leads basic research through active collaboration with industry, academia, and research, and utilises the corporation's oil and gas exploration/development technology, discovering hydrogen underground is no longer a dream in Korea,” said Seo Jeong-gyu, head of KNOC’s Global Technology Centre.
“It will be a future new growth engine that can contribute to domestic energy security, creation of new businesses, and achievement of the national carbon neutrality goal through the discovery of clean energy sources.”