With global interest in natural (white) hydrogen gaining momentum, HyTerra is pushing forward with a 12-month exploration campaign in Kansas—one of the few active U.S. hydrogen plays—despite ongoing uncertainty around well testing standards and subsurface behavior.
Backed by a recent investment from Fortescue Future Industries Technologies, HyTerra has now drilled two wells—Sue Duroche 3 and Blythe 13-20—targeting basement-hosted hydrogen systems in Nemaha Ridge.
Early results are drawing attention. The Sue Duroche 3 well reached total depth (TD) of 3,453 feet on May 1st, with mud gas logs indicating hydrogen readings throughout the drilling sequence. Lab-verified samples confirmed concentrations of up to 96.1% hydrogen, air-corrected—a figure notably higher than those reported in legacy wells. While this is a promising sign of a viable subsurface hydrogen system, these results stem from mud gas logging rather than flow testing, and are therefore not indicative of commercial productivity.
Unlike oil and gas, natural hydrogen lacks an established well testing methodology. As HyTerra acknowledged, a direct transition from drilling to flow testing is currently impractical due to the nascent state of hydrogen-specific protocols. Instead, the company has initiated a monitoring phase—deploying a workover rig at Sue Duroche 3 to gather long-term surface pressure and gas data prior to any extended flow test. This step, while cautious, reflects broader sector-wide constraints. Without benchmark testing procedures, it remains difficult to quantify reservoir deliverability or assess economic viability based solely on mud gas logs.
HyTerra’s approach, involving a multi-stage process from exploration to monitoring and potentially testing, aligns with emerging best practices for white hydrogen plays in frontier regions. Yet it also prolongs the timeline to commercially relevant results. The company expects the monitoring period to last weeks or even months, and any decision to test will follow the drilling of both current wells in sequence.
Further complicating assessment is the geological uncertainty associated with hydrogen migration and trapping. The Kansas basement, where these wells are being drilled, is known to host fractures and dolomitized zones that may facilitate gas movement. HyTerra reports that petrophysical analysis has identified matrix porosity and structural features conducive to gas storage, yet the true productivity of these intervals remains unknown in the absence of dynamic testing.
Nearby historical reference points are few and poorly documented. The Blythe 13-20 well, currently being drilled, is located roughly 1.4 kilometers from the Scott-1 well, which reportedly yielded hydrogen concentrations up to 56% in 1982. However, as HyTerra notes, records for Scott-1 are incomplete, offering limited geological context. Blythe 13-20, projected to reach a deeper basement section than Sue Duroche 3, aims to clarify which stratigraphic intervals might be most prospective—data critical for understanding the broader regional hydrogen system.
From an operational standpoint, HyTerra has maintained timelines and budgets, completing both the Sue Duroche 3 well and a seismic survey program without health or environmental incidents. The seismic work, conducted by Paragon Geophysical, will be integrated with airborne data to identify additional drill targets for the next phase, scheduled for the second half of 2025.
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