Native hydrogen: ‘The true cost of production remains to be determined’ (OPECST)

“The actual cost of producing natural hydrogen remains to be determined, as it has never yet been produced or marketed on a large scale. Many factors can influence production costs”, according to the scientific report “Native Hydrogen”, published by the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices, on 03/07/2026. It was written by Gérard Leseul, MP for Seine-Maritime, and Michaël Weber, Senator for Moselle.

Recent studies have identified areas likely to harbour natural hydrogen deposits in several regions of the world, but no significant economically viable deposits have been confirmed to date, according to the authors. The actual extraction costs remain unknown and depend on the characteristics of each site.

The report recommends funding basic…