Vema Hydrogen Drills 2 Quebec Wells to Make Underground Fuel as Green Hydrogen Stays Costly
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 17
Vema Hydrogen Drills 2 Quebec Wells to Make Underground Fuel as Green Hydrogen Stays Costly
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 17
Two 1,000-foot test wells near Thetford Mines, Quebec, have been drilled by Vema Hydrogen, which is now injecting treated water into iron-rich bedrock to spur hydrogen-producing reactions underground.
The approach targets “geologic hydrogen” — either naturally occurring underground hydrogen or hydrogen generated in rock formations — as a potentially emissions-free fuel source for hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as shipping, aviation and steel.
Most hydrogen used today is made from natural gas and produces significant emissions, while heavily subsidized “green” hydrogen from wind and solar has remained difficult and expensive to scale.
Dozens of startups are now pursuing underground hydrogen worldwide, betting rock formations could yield a far larger and cheaper clean-fuel supply than current production methods.
Is the future of clean fuel a hunt for natural hydrogen, or a process of manufacturing it inside the Earth?
If trillions of tons of hydrogen exist underground, why is it so difficult to get projects commercially off the ground?
With hydrogen potentially cheaper than natural gas, what are the hidden environmental risks of this new energy boom?
Vema Hydrogen’s Quebec Pilot Wells: World’s First Engineered Mineral Hydrogen Field Deployment Targets Sub-$0.50/kg Clean Hydrogen
Overview
In February 2026, Vema Hydrogen completed its first two pilot wells in Quebec, marking the world’s first field deployment of Engineered Mineral Hydrogen (EMH) technology. This milestone moves EMH from lab research to real-world testing, where the wells are used to analyze subsurface conditions, monitor fluid movement, and measure hydrogen production. The data collected helps Vema refine its techniques and optimize commercial models for future large-scale projects. With these improvements, Vema aims to achieve specific hydrogen production rates and cost efficiencies, targeting production costs of less than 50 cents per kilogram—making their hydrogen more affordable than any other source.