MAX Power confirms natural hydrogen in Canada

Notably, immediate drilling success in the province featuring Canada’s most advanced policy framework for natural hydrogen presents a series of potential short-term catalysts that could accelerate the development of this emerging clean energy industry in Saskatchewan, already a global leader in uranium and potash and Canada’s only producer of helium.

The Lawson discovery supports the company’s geological model for Natural Hydrogen accumulations and allows for potential repeatability and scalability across the 475-km-long Genesis Trend and elsewhere on MAX Power’s 1.3 million acre permitted land package where a multi-well drill programme is set to resume with a fully funded second well along the Saskatchewan-Montana border.

The highly prospective Genesis Trend lies adjacent to the Regina – Moose Jaw Industrial Corridor, where demand for hydrogen is strong. Its entire eastern boundary is nestled against the Prairie Evaporite, which hosts the world’s largest potash reserves and, in the assessment of MAX Power’s geological team, functions as a regional ‘Salt Barrier’ providing a trap and seal conducive to the accumulation of natural hydrogen.

Lawson Discovery Highlights

• Hydrogen concentrations up to 286 000 ppm (28.6% H2).
• Free gas flow to surface with robust initial rates and pressures following perforation.
• Evidence of a potentially large reservoir with strong drive mechanism.
• Fractured Precambrian “exotic terrane” rocks hosting favourable source rocks.
• Elevated helium values up to 7% detected in sealed core tube gas samples from zone above the basement complex, indicating potential for a stacked gas system.
• Discovery accelerates the development of MAXX LEMI, MAX Power’s AI-assisted Large Earth Model for Natural Hydrogen, designed to become the global standard for Natural Hydrogen exploration.

Next steps – H1 2026

MAX Power will now advance Lawson toward commercial evaluation through:

• Resource modelling and estimation in accordance with applicable standards and regulatory guidance, which is expected to commence shortly given an already extensive dataset.
• A 47-sq. km 3D seismic survey over the Lawson discovery to define reservoir geometry and trap integrity, which will also aid in developing a contingent resource.
• A confirmatory well to evaluate commercial deliverability, with targeting optimised through the 3D seismic survey slated to be carried out in February.
• Stakeholder and customer engagement with Saskatchewan-based industrial and energy users, and national and global companies specializing in AI infrastructure.

In parallel, data from Lawson will be integrated into MAXX LEMI, MAX Power’s AI-assisted Large Earth Model for Natural Hydrogen exploration. MAXX LEMI is designed to optimize targeting and accelerate discovery of Natural Hydrogen deposits, not only in Saskatchewan but globally as a leading platform that MAX Power plans to monetize.

Ran Narayanasamy, MAX Power President and CEO, commented: “This is a defining moment for MAX Power, Saskatchewan and Canada. We have confirmed the existence of a Natural Hydrogen system in the subsurface from the first well ever drilled in this country specifically targeting this new primary energy source. Lawson is no longer a concept – it’s a discovered geological system with gas flow, pressure, and the key ingredients required for future commercial Natural Hydrogen development. This is an important milestone that positions Saskatchewan at the forefront of a rapidly emerging new clean energy industry.”

Narayanasamy continued: “Achieving these results on an initial well in an area with no previously recorded Natural Hydrogen occurrences is statistically improbable in the absence of a well-developed and actively charged system, suggesting Lawson is part of a larger, functioning Natural Hydrogen accumulation rather than an isolated occurrence.”

Steve Halabura, P.Geo., Chief Geoscientist, added: “From a geological perspective, Lawson has delivered exactly what we hoped to see – hydrogen-rich gas, reservoir characteristics, fracture networks, and evidence of a working system. The apex of the structure, which we will be targeting from upcoming 3D seismic, is where we would expect to encounter the high purity core of the system. The presence of elevated helium above the hydrogen zone supports the potential for the discovery of a vertically stacked gas system that would aid in economics. Combined with the extent of the Genesis Trend and the salt-sealed structural setting, this discovery opens the door to repeatable, scalable Natural Hydrogen exploration in Saskatchewan and beyond.”

De-risking Canada’s largest permitted land package for natural hydrogen

Initial success at Lawson de-risks multiple 'look-a-like' targets along the Genesis Trend and across MAX Power’s entire Saskatchewan land package encompassing 1.3-million acres under permit and another 5.7 million acres under application. The Lawson well tested one of a minimum of six ‘play concepts’ developed for Natural Hydrogen by MAX Power’s technical team with the second play concept slated for drilling in February.

Technical confirmation

Independent analyses by three laboratories (AGAT, Corelab, and PTRC) confirmed hydrogen concentrations ranging from 16.80% (168 000 ppm) to 19.07% (190 700 ppm) from a through-casing flow test, while AGAT further assayed hydrogen concentrations of up to 28.60% (286 000 ppm) from gas samples recovered from sealed core tubes. From the zone immediately above the basement complex, core desorption by AGAT returned helium values up to 8.7% (87 327 ppm), averaging 4.4% (44,380 ppm) from nine samples.

Flow-test samples were obtained from an 8 m thick fractured interval from the uppermost portion of the basement complex, and the relatively clean gas composition (~90% hydrogen-nitrogen mix, with no hydrogen sulfide) clearly indicates a geological source for the hydrogen (high-purity Natural Hydrogen will be targeted at the apex of the structure, which is expected to be revealed through 3D seismic). After perforation, the well quickly achieved free gas flow to surface, delivering strong initial rates and pressures before being overtaken by a powerful influx of formation brine, demonstrating reservoir energy and connectivity.

The consistency of results for flow-test samples across three independent laboratories provides MAX Power’s technical team with high confidence in assay accuracy and establishes a solid foundation for resource modelling and development planning.

Analytical work is ongoing including rock mineralogy studies as well as measurements of porosity and permeability.

Why this matters to investors

The Lawson discovery marks the transition of Natural Hydrogen in Canada from theory to verified subsurface reality as the first confirmed Natural Hydrogen system through deep drilling on a district-scale land package in one of the world’s most stable, infrastructure-rich resource jurisdictions. For MAX Power, this represents a pivotal inflection point building on the Company’s North American and global leadership in this rapidly evolving and exciting new sector.

With hydrogen-rich gas, reservoir drive, regional sealing structures, and multiple de-risked follow-up targets now identified, MAX Power has moved into the discovery and early development phase of what could become a new clean energy industry. Combined with strong financial backing, international strategic partners, and continued design and development of the Company’s AI-driven MAXX LEMI platform, MAX Power is positioned to advance toward repeatable discovery, scalable development, and long-term shareholder value creation.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/19012026/max-power-confirms-natural-hydrogen-in-canada/