European natural hydrogen exploration company Mantle8 has secured €2.06 million in funding from the Just Transition Fund to support the development of a suite of technologies designed to locate and analyze natural hydrogen resources.
The project will be based in Grenoble and form part of a wider natural hydrogen research and innovation initiative worth €4.84 million.
This grant is provided as part of the FEDER/FSE+/JTF 2021-2027 program managed by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. This funding program aims to strengthen industrial capacity in regions undergoing structural changes related to the energy transition.
Mantle8 will use the funding to increase the maturity of several core technologies that underpin its natural hydrogen exploration platform.
The company’s development plans focus on advancing subsurface imaging, geochemical analysis, and modeling tools to support the identification of hydrogen-bearing geological systems.
Emmanuel Masini, CEO and Founder of Mantle8 commented: “This funding will allow us to strengthen the core technology that underpins our entire platform.
“This gives us a way to extend the tool, improve its robustness, and move closer to industrial adoption.”
Scaling key exploration technologies
The project is centered around four technologies developed by Mantle8: GeoLogix, APoGeH, HOREX, and Simul8. Together, they form a technological framework aimed at improving the detection, analysis and modeling of naturally occurring hydrogen in geological formations.
One area of investment is the expansion of the HOREX pilot system currently operating in the Comminges region of southern France.
The company said the system has demonstrated the ability to generate a wide range of high-resolution data, which is considered important for identifying potential hydrogen reservoirs underground.
Mantle8 also plans to establish a dedicated laboratory for APoGeH geochemistry at its headquarters in Grenoble. The facility will allow researchers to conduct hydrogen system analysis internally rather than relying on outside laboratories, potentially accelerating research and data interpretation.
Additional funding will support automation of the GeoLogix platform, a tool used to image subsurface geological structures.
Meanwhile, development continues on Simul8, a multiphysics modeling engine designed to simulate the behavior of hydrogen in geological systems.
Such modeling tools are becoming increasingly important as researchers seek to better understand how natural hydrogen forms, moves and accumulates underground.
Research partnerships and talent expansion
A portion of the funds will also be used for recruitment activities. Mantle8 plans to hire expert researchers, including doctoral candidates and members of the company’s scientific advisory network, to work in collaboration with universities.
The program includes collaborative techno-economic studies with industry partners aimed at evaluating potential pathways to deploy natural hydrogen technology at commercial scale.
These studies are expected to address both the operational feasibility and cost structure of future exploration activities.
All research activities supported by this grant will take place in Grenoble and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which has a long history of geoscience research and energy technology development.
Supporting industrial transformation in energy regions
The Just Transition Fund was established by the European Union to help regions transition away from carbon-intensive industries. Funding will be directed towards projects that diversify local economies and foster new industrial capabilities related to low-carbon energy systems.
Although Mantle8’s program does not directly fund field exploration campaigns, the effort focuses on preparing the technology for large-scale deployment.
The company aims to shorten development schedules and reduce the cost of identifying natural hydrogen resources by improving precision, automation and laboratory capabilities.
The funding agreement will be valid until 2028 and will operate under the necessary monitoring and reporting framework for EU-supported research programmes.
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