Hydrogen Production Methods: Wood Models $0.56/kg Cost for Eclipse Energy’s Subsurface Route

Eclipse Energy just shared some exciting news: they’ve wrapped up an independent techno-economic assessment of RenovaStrata H2, their innovative subsurface biotechnology platform aimed at turning depleted oil reservoirs into hydrogen-producing assets. The assessment suggests that this method of hydrogen production could drop to a levelized cost as low as $0.56 per kilogram, with a carbon intensity around 0.076 kgCO2e per kilogram of hydrogen. However, keep in mind that these figures represent Wood’s optimistic outlook rather than verified commercial output.

The subsurface route to clean hydrogen

So, how does RenovaStrata H2 work? Instead of building new electrolysis plants on the surface, it cleverly repurposes old oil wells and taps into existing reservoir data. The process involves injecting water combined with a custom mix of microbes and nutrients into these legacy formations. Down below, the microbes go to work breaking down leftover hydrocarbons, creating a hydrogen-rich gas mixture. That gas is then brought to the surface through the same wells for separation and purification. By using existing infrastructure, Eclipse Energy aims to minimize initial costs and speed up deployment compared to green hydrogen production that relies on electrolysers and new pipeline construction.

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