Partners chosen for geologic hydrogen initiative

The Chimaera Fund aims to rapidly and responsibly scale geologic hydrogen by investing in open-source playbooks that worked in shale, geothermal, and other subsurface industries. In support of a Congressional mandate that the Department of War provide 99.9% energy availability at critical military installations by 2030, the DAF Office of Energy Assurance has partnered with the Chimaera Fund to explore whether geologic hydrogen could strengthen energy resilience at critical AFBs.

Selections were informed by a Request for Information that attracted nearly 30 responses from across the geologic hydrogen ecosystem, including exploration companies, national laboratories, university research groups, sensing and detection firms, and engineering consultancies.

HyTerra, Helix Exploration Plc, and Prometheus Hydrogen were best positioned to deliver real-world, field-grounded data in support of a live demonstration. This initiative will draw on well and hydrogen storage and use infrastructure, drilling cost data, and subsurface measurements from active exploration programmes located within approximately 200 miles of targeted AFBs.

• HyTerra Ltd brings the only active well test planned during the project timeline, providing controlled flow, pressure, and gas composition data under field conditions. Although early stage, this well test will provide valuable real-world data to help start answering the Air Force’s priority technical questions around future production capacity, costs and infrastructure requirements. It also provides a potential opportunity to demonstrate extraction of geologic hydrogen from a well in the U.S. and delivery to the Air Force.
• Helix Exploration PLC is conducting active exploration for helium at a project site in north-central Montana and encountered a highly favorable geological hydrogen deposit approximately 110 miles from Malmstrom AFB. Their deep well program has confirmed the presence of key geological indicators for hydrogen generation, and the company is preparing additional coring and laboratory analysis to further characterise the resource. This foundational field data will significantly strengthen the assessment’s coverage of the Malmstrom region.
• Prometheus Hydrogen is a US-based technology company focused on the purification, storage, transport and delivery of hydrogen using its proprietary technologies. Its technologies store hydrogen safely and compactly without the need for high-pressure compression, cooling systems or complex infrastructure, enabling long-duration energy storage with minimal degradation.

“We are seeing remarkably fast progress in the geologic hydrogen industry. The caliber of responses to our RFI – including an opportunity to demonstrate production and delivery as well as a new field discovered – shows the industry’s readiness and willingness to do big things together,” said Ishan Sharma, Director of the Chimaera Fund at Renaissance Philanthropy.

“Selection for this programme recognises HyTerra’s position in advancing geologic hydrogen towards commercial reality. We look forward to working with Renaissance Philanthropy, the US Air Force, Prometheus Hydrogen, and Helix Exploration to help demonstrate how geologic hydrogen can contribute as a reliable, lower-cost energy source for critical applications,” commented Riley Kemp, CEO of HyTerra.

“The selection of Helix in this research initiative reinforces the significance of the geological indicators we have identified at Rudyard and the potential they hold for geologic hydrogen. We are genuinely excited to be working alongside the U.S. Air Force and the Chimaera Fund as partners in this effort — not simply as data providers, but as active collaborators bringing subsurface expertise and field operations to bear on a shared objective,” added Bo Sears, CEO of Helix Exploration Plc.

“This project is an opportunity to showcase our technology in an end-to-end application and to demonstrate how geologic hydrogen can be delivered reliably and efficiently to end users. We see strong alignment between our companies and meaningful potential to expand this collaboration on a commercial scale,” stated Nicolas Kernene, Founder and CEO of Prometheus Hydrogen.

The Chimaera Fund will now focus on the next phase of the project, including designing key aspects for completing the demonstration partnership and exploring opportunities to engage additional Air Force Bases over the Spring and Summer 2026.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/21042026/partners-chosen-for-geologic-hydrogen-initiative/