{
  "id": 191274,
  "title": "Philippines Could Become the World's First Geologic Hydrogen Hub",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/philippines-could-become-the-worlds-first-geologic-hydrogen-hub",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-05T20:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "OilPrice",
    "slug": "oilprice",
    "url": "https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Philippines-Could-Become-the-Worlds-First-Geologic-Hydrogen-Hub.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Philippines is positioning itself as a potential leader in the global geologic hydrogen revolution. The Southeast Asian nation is thought to possess the largest natural hydrogen seeps on Earth, suggesting the possibility of storing vast quantities of hydrogen underground, awaiting extraction. If the Philippines manages to become the first country to commercially test geologic hydrogen, it could significantly impact the country's economy and energy security, while also disrupting global energy markets and accelerating the decarbonization movement. Hydrogen is often considered a potential solution for decarbonizing sectors like steelmaking and shipping, as it can be combusted at high temperatures like coal or heavy fuel oil, but does not produce any emissions other than water vapor when burned. However, the production of green hydrogen using clean energy sources is currently too expensive to compete with gray hydrogen, which is made from fossil fuels. Geologic hydrogen could solve this issue by sourcing hydrogen directly from the Earth, a technology that is still in its early stages but experts believe could be done very cheaply. The US Department of Energy estimates that geologic hydrogen could be produced for less than $1 per kilogram, which would make it even cheaper than hydrogen made from fossil fuels, potentially opening up new pathways to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. While the hype around green hydrogen has faded in recent years, recent energy crises have renewed interest in clean hydrogen to create alternative energy supply chains. Major players such as China, Europe, and the US have announced plans to support the research and development of clean hydrogen. Several startups have emerged in response to these developments, with Koloma, backed by investors including Bill Gates and Amazon, choosing the Philippines as the prime location for exploration. The Philippines is known to have the largest natural hydrogen seeps on the planet, and Koloma CEO Pete Johnson believes these seeps may be connected to large accumulations of hydrogen. If the project succeeds, it could be a game-changer for the clean energy industry and the Philippines' economy, which is rapidly growing and modernizing. However, developing this technology is still years away, as scientists need to figure out how to extract hydrogen from natural deposits in a commercially viable manner. Koloma has already extracted 90% plus hydrogen gas, but they are not yet at the point of confirming a commercial operation.",
  "summary": "The Philippines is shaping up to be ground zero for the global geologic hydrogen revolution. The Southeast Asian nation reportedly has the largest natural hydrogen seeps anywhere on Earth, indicating that huge volumes of hydrogen could be stored under the ground, waiting to be exploited. If the Philippines is able to become the world’s first test case for a commercially viable geologic hydrogen…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}