Gold Hydrogen Ltd. has announced encouraging experimental stage one soil gas testing survey results for its southern Yorke Peninsula-based Ramsay project.

The tests, which were completed by the CSIRO, detected hydrogen in soil across multiple locations.

Analysis suggested seepage near geological faults, implying hydrogen has been generated in the subsurface, migrated up, and filled a suitable subsurface reservoir covered by a seal preventing escape.

“This supports the company’s belief there is a naturally occurring hydrogen accumulation in its Ramsay Project area,” a Gold Hydrogen spokesperson said.

“Gold Hydrogen regards the stage one soil-gas survey results as encouraging but notes the only sure way to determine if there is a hydrogen accumulation in the area is to drill one or more wells, the first of which it plans to drill in October.

“The results of the well will be integrated with the interpretations of the reprocessed seismic, airborne magnetic surveys and the soil test results to assist with further exploration planning.

“The results have positive implications and support the strategy for the well location site selection … (and the well is) on track to be dug in October 2023.”

The second stage soil-gas survey exploration technique would involve long-term measurement, and this has been tentatively scheduled for late 2023-early 2024.

The Ramsay project is designed to progress the natural hydrogen prospective resources to contingent resources and to mature portions of the current land title to production licence areas.

Gold Hydrogen is a Queensland-based company focused on the discovery and development of natural hydrogen gas.

It was granted a permit to explore a 9500 square kilometre tenement, across part of southern Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in November 2021.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 1 August 2023.