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HyTerra provide update on Nemaha Project

 

Published by
Global Hydrogen Review,

HyTerra has increased the firm wells in the drilling sequence to a total of three wells to be drilled between April and July 2025 at the Nemaha Project in Kansas, US. These wells are the first steps for the company in executing a comprehensive 12 month exploration work programme designed to unlock the potential of natural (white) hydrogen in Kansas through its 100% owned and operating subsidiary HYT Operating LLC. This exploration programme funding is sourced from an investment in the company by Fortescue Future Industries Technologies Pty Ltd.

Blythe 13-20 update

The company has announced that Blythe 13-20 was drilled to a total depth of 5300 ft mDKB (1615 m) on time, on budget, with no HSE incidents. The well drilled through approximately 3028 ft (923 m) of sedimentary rocks and 2272 ft (692 m) of Precambrian basement. Blythe 13-20 well was drilled into a new geological play in the company’s acreage. The Blythe 13-20 well site is located around 1400 m east of the historic Scott-1 well drilled in 1982, which reported hydrogen concentrations of up to 56% in the sedimentary section.1 The drilling depth reached was 3100 ft (945 m) mDKB deeper than Scott-1 well. The company has 6860 net acres in close vicinity to the well site.

An extensive formation evaluation programme was executed by Schlumberger (SLB). This programme entailed recording mud gas log data in real time during drilling, mud gas samples collected at surface, extensive wireline logging, and cuttings. The learnings from Sue Duroche 3 and detailed pre-planning resulted in a successful data acquisition programme.

The real time mud gas log recorded hydrogen and helium gas readings at different intervals when drilling, indicating the presence of a hydrogen and helium play in this area.2 The mud gas samples collected at surface are now being sent to an independent laboratory (Isotech Laboratories Inc.) for verification and quantification at which time the results will be released to the market.

Operations lookahead

The company has decided to add a third well McCoy 1 to this drilling programme based on the initial observations from Sue Duroche 3. Independent laboratory analyses verified concentrations of up to 96% hydrogen and 5% helium from Sue Duroche 3 mud gas samples. The well was converted immediately into an appraisal well back in May 2025. The well is located 9 km from the McCoy 1 site location.

The Murfin 116 drilling rig will then be prepared to mobilise to McCoy 1 in June 2025. The field crew will now take a short break to avoid crew change out and maintain continuity across the entire exploration well campaign as best practice. McCoy 1 is expected to spud by the end of June 2025.

Based on initial observations from both Sue Duroche 3 and Blythe 13-20, the company will start planning a re-entry of the Blythe 13-20 to convert it to an appraisal well in coming weeks.

References

1. Guelard, J., Beaumont, V., Rouchon, V., Guyot, F., Pillot, D., Jezequel, D., et al., 2017. Natural H2 in Kansas: deep or shallow origin? Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 18, 1841-1865. H2 + He % reflects occurrences of published gas analyses recovered from the wellbore. Uncertainty remains on historic well operations, sampling techniques, and analyses. The values are considered up to a % of H2 or He 2.
2. Mud gas logs and samples carry residual uncertainty due to the nature of gas detection, drilling parameters and equipment, and behaviour of the gas due to geological and operational processes. Samples are air corrected to account for atmospheric contamination when collected at surface. Corrected hydrogen values were reported by Isotech Laboratories Inc. in Champaign, Illinois, and corrected helium values were calculated by HyTerra using a methodology endorsed by Isotech Laboratories Inc.