Mantle8 Establishes Dubai Headquarters to Expand Natural Hydrogen Exploration in the Middle East
Mantle8 is expanding its international natural hydrogen strategy into the Middle East, establishing a regional headquarters in Dubai and appointing Jean-Valery Garcia as Regional Director for the region.
The move gives the natural hydrogen exploration company a permanent presence in the UAE as it looks to build exploration opportunities, partnerships and commercial relationships across the Middle East.
Mantle8 sees the region as a priority for its broader exploration program, pointing to a combination of geological potential and institutional support for energy diversification as factors behind the expansion.
Garcia will lead Mantle8’s commercial and operational activities in the region, including the development of a local team and partnerships as the company establishes its Middle Eastern presence.
The expansion follows Mantle8’s recently completed €31 million Series A financing, which is being used to accelerate the company’s international growth. The Middle East represents an important step beyond Mantle8’s existing European activities.
For Mantle8, the regional strategy is built around applying its proprietary subsurface exploration technologies to identify and de-risk prospective natural hydrogen systems before drilling.
The company’s technology platform includes HOREX® 4D imaging, GeoLogix® and APoGeH®, which Mantle8 says are designed to support predictive exploration across different geological environments.
That exploration-first approach is particularly relevant in natural hydrogen, where the industry is still working to determine which geological settings can host commercially meaningful accumulations and how effectively those systems can be identified before committing capital to drilling.
Natural hydrogen is generated through geological processes within the Earth’s crust rather than through an industrial manufacturing process. If suitable accumulations can be identified and produced at scale, the resource could potentially provide a lower-cost source of hydrogen.
The Middle East brings an interesting strategic dimension to that thesis.
The region already possesses extensive subsurface energy expertise, established drilling and service industries and governments pursuing broader energy diversification strategies. Mantle8’s announcement, however, does not identify specific exploration licences, projects or drilling locations in the region at this stage.
The immediate focus is instead on establishing the infrastructure needed to build a longer-term position.
According to CEO and founder Emmanuel Masini, maintaining a dedicated office and leadership team in the UAE reflects the scale of the opportunity Mantle8 believes exists across the region.
Garcia will be responsible for translating that regional thesis into partnerships and operating activity. He said the combination of Mantle8’s exploration technology and growing Middle Eastern interest in natural hydrogen was central to his decision to join the company.
The Dubai headquarters adds another geographic component to Mantle8’s increasingly international strategy.
In Europe, the company recently secured the Aralar I and Aralar II exploration permits covering approximately 1,680 km² in the southern Pyrenees, where it is preparing non-invasive geological and geophysical research for natural hydrogen and helium.
The Middle East expansion represents a different stage: establishing a regional platform from which Mantle8 can identify opportunities and build the relationships required to develop an exploration portfolio.
With €31 million of new capital behind its global expansion and permanent regional leadership now established in Dubai, the next development to watch will be whether Mantle8 converts that presence into specific natural hydrogen exploration partnerships and projects across the Middle East.
Full press release is attached below:
UAE - 8 September 2026 - Mantle8, a natural hydrogen exploration company, has appointed Jean-Valery Garcia as Regional Director for the Middle East, and established its regional headquarters in Dubai, UAE.
The appointment signals Mantle8's commitment to building a long-term presence in the Middle East, where interest in natural hydrogen as an energy resource is growing. The region's geological characteristics and institutional support for energy diversification make it a priority area for the company's exploration programme.
Emmanuel Masini, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mantle8, said: "Expanding into the Middle East is a significant step for Mantle8. Establishing a permanent presence in the UAE, with a dedicated office and Jean-Valery leading commercial and operations activities on the ground, reflects the scale of the opportunity we see in the region. Jean-Valery's industrial background and his deep networks across the Middle East make him the right person to drive our programme forward."
Mantle8 recently completed a €31 million Series A financing round to accelerate its global expansion, with the Middle East marking a key milestone as the company extends operations beyond Europe.
Jean-Valery Garcia, Regional Director, Middle East at Mantle8, said: "Natural hydrogen exploration is one of the most compelling frontiers in the energy sector today. When I saw the technology Mantle8 had built and the alignment with natural hydrogen initiatives in the Middle East, I knew this was the right opportunity. I'm looking forward to building the team and partnerships on the ground here to turn that opportunity into a leading position for Mantle8 in the region."
Natural hydrogen, also known as geological hydrogen, is generated by geological processes within the Earth's crust, offering the potential for significantly lower-cost supply. The resource is attracting growing attention from governments and industries seeking to diversify their energy portfolios and reduce production costs across the hydrogen value chain.
About Mantle8
Mantle8 is a natural hydrogen exploration company developing proprietary subsurface exploration and imaging technologies to identify and de-risk natural hydrogen accumulations prior to drilling. The company's technology stack - including HOREX® 4D imaging, GeoLogix® and APoGeH® - enables predictive exploration of hydrogen systems across diverse geological settings. Mantle8 is building an international portfolio of natural hydrogen opportunities with the objective of enabling large-scale, low-cost hydrogen production. The company completed a €31 million Series A financing round in 2026.
Media Contact
Ecology Media (on behalf of Mantle8)
Georgia Hanias
georgiahanias@ecologymedia.co.uk
+44 7812 211 403
