Mantle8 Secures 1,680 km² Natural Hydrogen and Helium Exploration Permits in Spain

Mantle8 has secured two exploration permits covering approximately 1,680 km² of the southern Pyrenees, giving the French geoscience company authorization to begin a scientific natural hydrogen and helium research program across parts of Navarra and the Basque Country. 

The Aralar I and Aralar II permits were granted on June 5, 2026, by Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge through its Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines. 

The permits are valid for one year and are renewable, but importantly, they cover exploration rather than drilling or extraction. 

Mantle8 is authorized to conduct non-invasive geological work including geological mapping, soil-gas sampling, water and rock sampling and passive seismic monitoring. 

The permits do not authorize drilling, industrial extraction, construction of new access roads or permanent infrastructure. 

That distinction is a central part of Mantle8’s announcement as the company prepares to begin work in an environmentally and culturally sensitive part of northern Spain. 

The Aralar massif contains significant karst terrain, groundwater systems and aquifers. Mantle8 says its planned program will remain entirely at surface, with no hydraulic fracturing, chemical injection or freshwater consumption. 

Small field teams will instead work largely on foot using existing tracks and portable equipment. 

The company is also emphasizing engagement with municipalities, communal land-management organizations, landowners and other stakeholders before field activities begin. 

Following the formal publication of the permits, Mantle8 plans to hold face-to-face meetings with local authorities to explain where and when work will occur, what equipment will be used and how the company intends to minimize its environmental footprint. 

The program will initially combine existing geological and geophysical information with new surface observations and measurements to identify areas that may warrant further investigation for naturally occurring hydrogen and helium. 

Mantle8 also plans to discuss the positioning of any fixed monitoring sensors with relevant authorities and landowners before installation and will establish a dedicated contact channel and online Q&A for local residents, farmers, hikers and institutions. 

The company has committed to reporting its findings to the relevant authorities regardless of whether the exploration results are positive or negative. 

For Mantle8, the permits provide access to a substantial exploration area within the Pyrenees while allowing the company to begin testing its geological concepts without intrusive subsurface work. 

Any progression beyond the currently authorized program would require another regulatory step. 

Under Spanish mining law, exploration, investigation and exploitation are separate stages. Even if Mantle8 identifies encouraging natural hydrogen or helium indications, the current permits would not allow the company to move directly into drilling or production. 

Additional authorizations would first be required, and Mantle8 says it has made no application for drilling or extraction. 

For now, Aralar is entering an early scientific exploration phase: 1,680 km² of prospective terrain, surface-based geological investigation and a potentially important new test of natural hydrogen and helium potential in the southern Pyrenees.

Full press release can be found below:

Grenoble, France – 25 August 2026

On 5 June 2026, Mantle8 was granted the Aralar I and Aralar II exploration permits by y the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through its Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines, authorising a one-year, renewable scientific research program across 1,680 km² of the southern Pyrenees. In line with our core corporate values, Mantle8 is fully committed to providing clear, factual and proactive information about the project’s scope to the communities, municipalities and institutional partners of Navarra and the Basque Country. Our goal is to maintain complete transparency, ensuring all local stakeholders understand that these permits cover purely non-invasive geological mapping, sampling, and passive monitoring – entirely separate from any future industrial activity. 

Who We Are

Mantle8 is a French geoscience company specialising in the exploration of natural (white) hydrogen and helium. We operate in Spain through our local entity, Mantle8 Iberia. We are a scientific exploration company. 

What the Permits Authorise 

The permits granted by we have secured authorise a one-year, renewable scientific research programme covering about 1,680  km² across Navarra and the Basque Country. 

The authorisation is limited exclusively to surface-level, non-invasive work: geological mapping, soil-gas, water and rock sampling, and passive seismic monitoring. These permits do not authorise drilling, industrial extraction, the construction of new access roads or any permanent infrastructure. 

Exploration and extraction are entirely separate legal processes and any future extraction phase would require separate authorisations, and compliance with the applicable environmental, sectoral and local permitting requirements. None of these have been requested or granted. 

Protection of Water, Karst and the Environment 

Mantle8 recognises the ecological sensitivity and unique karstic nature of the Aralar massif, including the local groundwater and aquifers, which are critical regional resources. Our scientific survey work only happens at the surface and involves no hydraulic fracturing, no chemical injections and no freshwater consumption. Field teams will use portable, lightweight, passive equipment on existing tracks. We will not alter the ground or intervene with local aquifers in any capacity. We will operate within the limits set by the permit and by protected-area regulation. 

Respect for Aralar’s Cultural Identity 

We recognise that Aralar, including landmarks such as the San Miguel de Aralar sanctuary, holds profound cultural and symbolic weight for the Basque and Navarrese identity. Our presence will be respectful, comprising of small teams of geologists will move through the terrain with minimal impact, respecting the natural and cultural heritage of the area. 

Commitment to Municipalities and Transparency 

Following the official administrative publication of the permits, Mantle8 will now start reaching out to the local town councils (Ayuntamientos) and relevant communal land-management bodies in the areas where fieldwork is planned, to schedule face-to-face meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to explain what the permits authorise, what scientific fieldwork will look like on the ground and who to contact from Mantle8. 

We view local authorities as essential partners. We intend to engage with municipalities, explaining the scope and nature of our scientific work, the location and timings of our activities, and how we will ensure the protection of the local environment. Where specific local permissions are required, we will obtain them before carrying out the relevant activity. 

Next Steps 

Over the coming months, Mantle8 will: 

• Continue desk-based studies, compiling and analysing existing geological and geophsyical data to guide where field investigations are required. 
• Begin face-to-face engagement with municipalities and relevant communal land-management bodies in areas where fieldwork is planned, ahead of relevant activities. 
• Begin non-invasive scientific fieldwork, consisting of geological mapping, soil-gas sampling and passive seismic monitoring carried out by small teams on foot using existing tracks 
• Discuss the precise locations for any fixed sensors directly with the relevant local authorities and landowners, and obtain any permissions required before installation. 
• Launch a dedicated contact channel and Q&A section on our website so that residents, livestock farmers, hikers and local institutions can access up-to-date information on the project and raise questions directly 
• Report findings to the competent authorities as required by the permit conditions, regardless of whether results are positive or negative 

Under Spanish mining law, exploration, investigation and exploitation are distinct stages, subject to separate authorisations and requirements. A positive exploration result does not authorise Mantle8 to proceed directly to drilling or extraction. If the results justified progressing beyond the activities authorised under the current exploration permits, Mantle8 would first need to obtain the relevant additional authorisations before carrying out any such activities. No such application has been made. 

Residents can expect to see a small number of geologists and geophysicists with backpacks walking the terrain, observing rocks and collecting samples. They should not expect drilling, new roads or any extraction activity. 

For enquiries, technical documentation or media requests, please contact iberia@mantle8.com.