NaturalHYDROGEN EXPLORATION ROADMAP FOR MENA

Natural hydrogen, free molecular H₂ generated by water-rock reaction and radioactive decay in the crust, has moved from scientific curiosity to exploration target since the discovery of a producing field at Bourakebougou, Mali. The Middle East and North Africa holds several of the geological settings that host hydrogen elsewhere, from the Samail Ophiolite of Oman and the UAE to the ultramafic belts of the Arabian Shield and the Precambrian basement of the North African cratons, yet the region has attracted little dedicated study. Geologic® developed a play-based exploration roadmap that closes this gap: a review synthesising the literature to mid 2026, organised around the elements of a hydrogen system — source, migration, reservoir, seal, and preservation.

The assessment treats four generation mechanisms, draws exploration lessons from the global analogues at Bourakebougou, Samail, Bulqize, and the Australian cratons, and scores eight jurisdictions against a transparent five-criterion scheme, ranking them into three tiers. It develops three signature arguments: that Egypt’s Eastern Desert ophiolites are the region’s most valuable knowledge gap, that the legacy petroleum mud-gas archive is the cheapest regional reconnaissance, and that no MENA state needs new primary legislation to license the work. Seven research actions translate the assessment into a drill-ready roadmap.