European Natural Hydrogen Coalition Calls for €1 Billion Exploration Fund and EU Regulatory Reform
A coalition of more than 30 European energy, industrial, technology, research and investment organizations has called on the European Commission to establish a coordinated regulatory and investment framework for natural hydrogen, warning that Europe risks falling behind international competitors in the development of the emerging energy resource.
The initiative, led by Hydrogen Europe and initiated by Mantle8, sets out proposals intended to move European natural hydrogen activity beyond geological research and into systematic exploration, drilling and commercial assessment.
In an open letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior officials, the coalition urges the European Union to explicitly recognize natural hydrogen in its 2026 Energy Union policy package and the forthcoming revision of the EU Hydrogen Strategy.
The central argument is that Europe possesses considerable geological expertise, industrial capabilities and research infrastructure but lacks the regulatory clarity and investment mechanisms needed to determine whether naturally occurring hydrogen can become a commercially viable energy source.
The coalition's most significant proposal is a €1 billion exploration and appraisal program designed to support approximately 50 wells across at least 10 EU member states.
The proposed funding would cover geological research, exploratory drilling, reservoir testing, pilot production activities and technologies required to process hydrogen for potential commercial use.
Unlike funding directed primarily toward established hydrogen production technologies, the program would focus on establishing whether natural hydrogen resources can be discovered, recovered and produced economically.
The European coalition's proposal is therefore framed around testing the resource's potential rather than assuming commercial viability.
A second priority concerns the way natural hydrogen is treated under European energy policy.
The signatories want EU rules to assess hydrogen projects according to their lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions rather than exclude particular production pathways.
This would allow naturally occurring hydrogen to be considered for relevant policy mechanisms if projects can demonstrate that their emissions performance meets established requirements.
The third priority is regulatory clarity.
Across Europe, natural hydrogen exploration is often conducted under mining or subsurface resource legislation originally designed for minerals, hydrocarbons or other geological activities.
Some jurisdictions have begun adapting their frameworks.
France and Poland have amended mining legislation to accommodate natural hydrogen exploration, while Spain has begun granting exploration permits under its existing mining framework.
Nevertheless, the coalition argues that differences between national permitting systems, uncertain resource classifications and lengthy approval procedures can discourage investment.
Full press release is attached below:
Brussels, 28 October 2026 – Mantle8, the natural hydrogen exploration company, has brought together a coalition of European energy, industrial, technology, research and investment organisations to call on the European Commission to establish a clear regulatory framework for natural hydrogen exploration.
Initiated by Mantle8 and led by Hydrogen Europe, the coalition's Open Letter urges the EU to explicitly recognise natural hydrogen in its energy and hydrogen policies, improve permitting procedures and mobilise investment to establish the resource's geological and commercial potential. The call comes as the European Commission prepares its renewed EU Hydrogen Strategy, with a call for evidence launched on 26 October explicitly referencing natural hydrogen as an emerging source for research and innovation.
The letter was presented during a workshop at European Hydrogen Week in Brussels on 28 October, with an in-person ceremonial handover involving European Commission representatives. An official dispatch to the relevant Commission director-generals and commissioners is planned for the following week.
Emmanuel Masini, Founder and CEO of Mantle8, said: “We initiated this letter because Europe needs to give natural hydrogen a fair opportunity to be explored. The industry has the scientific expertise and technological capabilities to investigate the resource, but progress depends on having the right regulatory conditions in place. Clear rules, predictable permitting and investment in exploration would allow us to establish where natural hydrogen can be found, whether it can be recovered commercially and what role it could play in Europe's energy future.”
Building a European natural hydrogen industry
Natural hydrogen is generated by geological processes beneath the Earth's surface and can accumulate in underground reservoirs. Unlike hydrogen produced using electricity or fossil fuels, it occurs naturally underground and could provide a source of primary energy, subject to successful exploration, extraction and processing.
However, natural hydrogen remains an emerging exploration sector. Further fieldwork is needed to establish the scale, productivity and economic viability of potential resources.
The coalition argues that Europe risks falling behind other regions unless companies can move from geological research to systematic exploration. Although the European Commission has begun investigating the resource through initiatives including the EU-funded H2-QUEST research project and a DG GROW pilot study, the sector continues to face uncertainty over regulatory status, permitting requirements and access to geological data. For exploration companies, these barriers create uncertainty around project timelines and investment decisions.
The coalition argues that a coordinated European approach would help build the evidence base needed to identify promising resources and determine whether they can be developed commercially.
Four priorities to unlock exploration
The Open Letter calls on the European Commission to recognise natural hydrogen explicitly in the 2026 Energy Union package and the forthcoming revision of the EU Hydrogen Strategy, alongside a proposed European Natural Hydrogen Initiative built around four priorities:
Clear regulatory recognition: Establish a technology-neutral policy framework for natural hydrogen, including eligibility for relevant EU certification and support where applicable emissions-saving criteria are met.
Exploration funding: Establish a proposed €1 billion funding envelope to support around 50 exploration and appraisal wells across at least 10 Member States, helping attract additional public and private investment.
Predictable permitting: Encourage Member States to introduce transparent permitting procedures with defined timelines, giving companies greater certainty when planning exploration projects.
Access to geological data: Improve access to publicly funded subsurface information and develop a European natural hydrogen atlas to guide exploration and strengthen geological understanding.
The proposed funding would support geological assessment, drilling, flow testing and pilot production, alongside technologies needed to process and transport any viable resource. Its purpose would be to reduce early-stage exploration risk and generate evidence of commercial potential, rather than assume that economically recoverable deposits will be found.
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, said: “The EU has an opportunity to shape the development of natural hydrogen from the outset, ensuring that its potential is assessed within a coherent European framework. This means establishing a common policy approach, improving access to geological data and giving exploration projects a clearer route through permitting. A coordinated European effort would help build the evidence base needed to determine where natural hydrogen can make a meaningful contribution to Europe's energy mix.”
Mantle8's approach to exploration
Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Grenoble, France, Mantle8 is developing methods to identify active subsurface hydrogen generation and locate geological settings where hydrogen may accumulate and flow in commercially relevant volumes before drilling.
By combining geological analysis with advanced subsurface data processing, Mantle8 aims to identify reservoirs with commercial potential before drilling, reducing geological uncertainty and improving the likelihood of exploration success. The company is now testing its approach in the field across a growing portfolio of projects.
For Mantle8, clearer European rules would help create the conditions for exploration companies to assess the resource and generate the evidence needed to determine its potential contribution to Europe's energy supply.
The coalition's position is that the EU does not need to commit to natural hydrogen as a future energy source before its potential is proven. It needs the regulatory clarity, geological data and investment required to investigate the resource and make decisions based on evidence.
About Mantle8
Mantle8 is a company of field scientists exploring the next energy frontier: natural hydrogen. Until now, natural hydrogen discoveries have largely been accidental. Mantle8 takes a different approach, looking for active subsurface reactions where hydrogen is being generated and using advanced geological processing techniques to identify where it may be trapped and flow in commercially relevant volumes before drilling.
The company is backed by investors in frontier science and energy, including Sandwater, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BPI, IP Group, Wind Capital and Calderion. With their support, Mantle8 is testing its methods in the field across a growing portfolio of projects to demonstrate that natural hydrogen can be found systematically and repeatedly.
Mantle8 was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Grenoble, France.
For more information, visit www.mantle8.com.
About Hydrogen Europe
Hydrogen Europe is the European association representing the interests of the hydrogen industry and its stakeholders, promoting hydrogen as an enabler of a zero-emission society. With more than 600 members, including over 40 EU regions and 30 national associations, it encompasses the European hydrogen and fuel cell ecosystem.
For more information, visit www.hydrogeneurope.eu.
About the initiative
The Open Letter brings together organisations from across Europe's energy, industrial, technology, research and investment sectors. It is addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-Presidents Teresa Ribera and Stéphane Séjourné, and Commissioners Dan Jørgensen, Wopke Hoekstra, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Jessika Roswall.
Confirmed signatory organisations include Hydrogen Europe, Cleantech for Europe, France Hydrogène, Earth2, BEV, Calderion, Natural Hydrogen Ventures, NaturalHy, World Fund, Wind Capital, KIKO, Sandwater, La Française de l’Énergie (FDE), 45-8 Energy, Storengy, Teréga, H2Site, CVA Group, Technip Energies, Smart Seismic Solutions (S³), AXENS, Geolinks , Vallourec, thyssengas, IPGP, UPPA (Isabelle Moretti), CERTH, IFPEN, EFG (European Federation of Geologists), Hyreveal and Mantle8.
Media contact Matthew Lloyd | Milorad Doljanin mantle8@ecologymedia.co.uk
