Ramsay Natural Hydrogen Project

October 18th, 2023

R&D Focus Areas:
Natural hydrogen

Lead Organisation:
Gold Hydrogen

Partners:
Not applicable

Status:
Active

Start date:
August 2021 (2D seismic quality improvement workflow)

Completion date:
Ongoing

Key contacts:
Gold Hydrogen – Contact | Gold Hydrogen

Funding:
Not applicable

Project total cost:
Not applicable

Project summary description:
Gold Hydrogen holds Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 687, which covers large sections of Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

PEL 687 covers known occurrences of natural hydrogen on Yorke Peninsula (and Kangaroo Island) which were discovered during the 1920s and 1930s during hydrocarbon exploration activities, including at the Minlaton Oil Syndicate Bore 1 (also known as Ramsay Oil Bore 1) east of Minlaton

A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), prepared in May 2023 under the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000, addresses an exploration well drilling and testing program for natural hydrogen in the Yorke Peninsula component of PEL 687 planned to be undertaken by Gold Hydrogen.

Over the five-year span of the EIR and the accompanying Statement of Environmental Objectives (SEO), Gold Hydrogen expects to drill approximately five exploration wells and expects to acquire up to 600 kilometres of new 2D seismic data. The number and location of the wells would depend on drilling and testing results as the exploration program progresses.

Important early-stage site characterisation efforts undertaken prior to exploration drilling include (but are not limited to):

  • In March 2023, announcement of completion of its 2D seismic quality improvement workflow that commenced in August 2021.
  • In July 2023, announcement that CSIRO had undertaken an experimental Stage 1 soil gas testing survey on Yorke Peninsula with the aim of determining whether hydrogen gas is detectable in soils at surface.
  • In August 2023, announcement that the interpretation of the previously acquired airborne survey data has been received.
  • In September 2023, announcement updating on the (then) recently completed source/reservoir and seal rock characterisation studies on legacy well samples and available historical core material from within PEL 687.

In October 2023, Gold Hydrogen announced that the South Australian Government Department of Energy and Mines had approved the drilling of the Ramsay 1 well on the Yorke Peninsula and that drilling would commence within 24 hours. Within the announcement, the Company notes:

  • That the primary objective of the Ramsay 1 well is to confirm the presence of hydrogen in the subsurface geologic formations, by replicating the identification of hydrogen gas (up to 89% on an air-corrected basis) encountered during the drilling of the historic Ramsay Oil Bore 1 back in 1931, and to also more broadly confirm geological modelling based on the exploration data obtained during the past year.
  • It is expected to receive final Governmental approval for drilling its optional second well, Ramsay 2; the final timing and location for the drilling of Ramsay 2 will be contingent on the findings from Ramsay 1.
  • It is important to note that there are both geological and potential development risks associated with the Ramsay Project, including (though not limited to) risks relating to the presence, producibility and potential volumes of hydrogen.

In December 2023, Gold Hydrogen announced that high hydrogen concentrations were recorded in the mudgas and isotubes while drilling Ramsay 2, replicating the historical hydrogen measurement from the Ramsay Oil Bore 1. Both Ramsay 1 and Ramsay 2 would be left suspended, in preparation of the planned stage 1 well test in March 2024. Gold Hydrogen also indicated it recorded high values of helium extracted from the gas associated with the fluid within the deeper stratigraphic section.

In May 2024 Gold Hydrogen announced the completion of stage 1 of their well testing program with the recovery of gas and water samples from specific hydrogen and helium bearing zones in Ramsay 1 and Ramsay 2. The announcement indicates recovered samples show hydrogen purities of up to 95.8% (air corrected). The results of the stage 1 well test also indicated significant connected permeability in the hydrogen and helium rich zones.

In June 2024, Gold Hydrogen announced the start of their Ramsay 2D seismic acquisition project, consisting of 650km of 2D seismic data acquisition over existing roads on the Yorke Peninsula, In addition, the company announced that they would commence stage 2 of their well testing program, which involved the use of pumps to reduce the subsurface pressure to allow flow of free hydrogen and helium rich fluid to the surface.

In August 2024, Gold Hydrogen announced that the acquisition of the Ramsay 2D had been completed and the analysis of the stage 2 well test data was ongoing, with early results from the well test suggesting that hydrogen and helium were recovered at the surface in high concentrations (after correction for air and nitrogen contaminants).

In October 2024, Gold Hydrogen announced that it continues to evaluate the chemistry, geotechnical data and flow rates relating to the successful completion of the inaugural Ramsay Project drill program, and noted that results achieved to date confirm that the Ramsay Project has significant potential to be a commercially attractive natural hydrogen and helium producer.

Related publications and key links:
ASX releases | Gold Hydrogen

 Higher degree studies supported:
Not applicable.

 

November 2024