Episode Overview
In this episode, Andy Marsland sits down with Neil McDonald, CEO of Gold Hydrogen, to unpack an exciting investment announcement and explore the future of natural hydrogen and helium in Australia. From historical discoveries that have led to cutting-edge drilling programs, this conversation dives deep into the potential of hydrogen as a clean, cost-effective energy source, and how helium (including the rare helium-3) could revolutionise industries from quantum computing to power generation and transportation.
Neil McDonald is co-founder and Managing Director of Gold Hydrogen, one of the first companies in the world to confirm that high natural hydrogen deposits exist underground. Gold Hydrogen is now leading the race to commercialise hydrogen, a near carbon-zero energy source which would impact worldwide zero emissions targets.
Gold Hydrogen is also progressing helium opportunities, as the hydrogen tests also produced strong helium showings, one of the first major finds in a non-petroleum area.
Neil has more than 20 years of extensive commercial experience in the energy and minerals sectors and has helped commercialise some of Australia’s largest exploration projects for private and public companies.
What You’ll Learn
- The origins of Gold Hydrogen and its pioneering work in natural hydrogen exploration
- Why South Australia’s geology is uniquely suited for hydrogen and helium extraction
- The significance of helium-3 and its astronomical value
- How natural hydrogen compares to green hydrogen in terms of cost, carbon footprint, and scalability
- Insights into Gold Hydrogen’s strategic partnerships with Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and ENEOS Xplora
- The roadmap to commercial production and the role of infrastructure in scaling operations
Key Takeaways
- Natural hydrogen could be produced for under $1/kg, making it significantly cheaper than manmade alternatives
- Gold Hydrogen has confirmed helium purity levels of 36.9%, the highest ever reported globally
- Helium-3, valued at $15 million/kg, has been found in elevated levels in their wells
- The company’s exploration acreage spans 78,000+ square kilometres, with potentially enough hydrogen to power South Australia for 40+ years
Resources & Links
If you’re as excited about the future of clean energy as we are, don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review. For more information or to connect with Gold Hydrogen, check out the links above.
What is Exploring Clean Energy?
Join Andy Marsland in Exploring Clean Energy where we uncover the ideas, innovations, and projects powering our sustainable future.
You may know us as Exploring Hydrogen, where for 31 episodes we’ve shone a spotlight hydrogen. However, our global challenge of decarbonisation is much bigger than one energy vector.
Now, as we continue as The Exploring Clean Energy Podcast, this 2nd season we’re expanding the conversation to include the other stories that are shaping the energy transition of Australia and the world. We hope you enjoy the diversity of thought, and I welcome you so engage with me to help shape the episodes moving forward – so we can bring you the technical experts and projects that you want to hear about and to answer your important questions. Welcome to our energising journey.