FDE Secures Exclusive Permit for Natural Hydrogen Exploration in Eastern France
FDE (Euronext: FDE – ISIN: FR0013030152), a carbon-negative energy producer, has been granted the exclusive “Trois Évêchés” permit for the exploration of natural hydrogen across Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle in France’s Grand Est Region. The permit covers 2,254 km² of the Lorraine Basin and is valid for an initial period of five years, marking a major milestone for natural hydrogen development in Europe.
The award comes amid growing concerns over energy security, sovereignty, and decarbonization across Europe. Natural hydrogen, produced directly in the subsurface without energy-intensive processing, offers a potentially low-cost, low-carbon, domestic energy source aligned with France’s and the EU’s long-term climate objectives.
FDE’s permit builds on encouraging technical results already achieved in the region. In 2023, the Company identified high concentrations of dissolved natural hydrogen at the Folschviller well. More recently, drilling of the PTH-2 deep well at Pontpierre, launched in October 2025, confirmed a sharp increase in hydrogen concentrations below 2,000 meters, validating FDE’s geological model and scientific hypotheses. Importantly, these results were obtained under controlled conditions with no impact on aquifers.
The exclusive permit further recognizes FDE’s long-standing expertise in the Lorraine subsurface and its operational drilling capabilities. It also aligns with the REGALOR II research program, which secured €8.8 million in funding from the Grand Est Region and the European Union’s Just Transition Fund in December 2025. REGALOR II aims to better understand natural hydrogen generation and advance pathways toward industrial-scale production.
Between 2026 and 2031, FDE plans to complete drilling of the PTH-2 well to depths of up to 4,000 meters, expand hydrogen concentration measurements across existing wells in the Lorraine Basin, validate the renewable nature of hydrogen generation, and develop suitable production technologies.
Full press release is attached below:
La Française de l'Énergie Achieves Decisive Milestone in Natural Hydrogen Exploration in France
The granting of the exclusive "Trois Évêchés" exploration permit positions FDE as a pioneer of a new strategic energy sector for European sovereignty and competitiveness
Preliminary results from ongoing drilling in Moselle confirm a very strong increase in hydrogen concentration at medium depth
Pontpierre, France, January 26th, 2026 – FDE (Euronext: FDE - ISIN: FR0013030152), a carbon negative energy producer, has obtained the exclusive permit known as the "Trois Évêchés permit" for natural hydrogen exploration in Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle, in the Grand Est Region, for an initial period of 5 years.
A response to the strategic challenges of France and Europe
In a geopolitical context marked by the imperative of security of supply and energy sovereignty, natural hydrogen represents a major opportunity for France and Europe to develop domestic, clean, and competitive resources. This low-carbon energy is fully aligned with the carbon neutrality trajectory and the reduction of the continent's energy dependence.
Natural hydrogen, produced naturally in the subsurface without requiring energy for its production, has a remarkable carbon footprint and potentially very competitive production costs compared to other hydrogen production methods. Its exploitation could transform the European energy landscape.
Considerable geological potential confirmed by initial work
The permit covers an area of 2,254 km² on the Lorraine basin, recognized for its geological potential. International scientific studies, notably those by the US Geological Survey in 2025, estimate that the volume of exploitable natural hydrogen could exceed global natural gas reserves.
In France, the initial results obtained by FDE are particularly encouraging. Following the initial discovery of dissolved natural hydrogen in high quantities in the Folschviller well in 2023, the new PTH-2 drilling at Pontpierre, launched in October 2025, confirms a very strong increase in measured hydrogen concentration as early as -2,000 meters. These preliminary analyses, carried out after two and a half months of work under optimal conditions and without impact on aquifers, validate the Group's scientific hypotheses and open promising prospects for the continuation of the program.
An exclusive permit that recognizes FDE's unique expertise
The French State's granting of this new exclusive permit demonstrates the very high level of technical and operational expertise that FDE has developed since its creation. With its expertise in the Lorraine subsurface and its drilling capabilities, the Group benefits from a significant advantage in this global race toward natural hydrogen.
This new milestone is part of the momentum of the REGALOR II program, which obtained a subsidy of €8.8M granted under the Just Transition Fund of the Grand Est Region and the European Union in December 2025. This research program, led by FDE, aims to study the mechanisms of natural hydrogen formation and the methods of its exploitation on an industrial scale.
Work program 2026-2031
Over the period covered by the permit (until January 28, 2031), FDE plans:
- Completion of PTH-2 drilling to -4,000 meters and precise evaluation of the volumes present
- Conducting new concentration measurements in existing wells across the entire Lorraine basin
- Validation of the renewable nature of natural hydrogen generation in the Lorraine basin
- Development of the most suitable technologies for producing this hydrogen
This exploration could position France among the leading countries in this new energy sector, serving its industrial competitiveness and climate objectives
