Highlights of the Program
2 days business program:
Learn from real-world case studies by industry leaders.
SHOWCASING INNOVATION:
Discover the latest technology and techniques from across the industry.
leaders talk:
Hear from top-level experts about how to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.
MULTIPLE STREAMS:
A business program that is multi-disciplinary, giving you a broad view of the industry.
SMART TECHNOLOGIES:
Explore the latest smart and AI-driven solutions, and see how they can be used in your business.
roundtable discussion:
Join talks with industry peers. Share ideas, make connections, and find new partners.
Program
Day 1 :
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026
08:00 - 09:00
REGISTRATION AND MORNING REFRESHMENTS
09:00 - 09:10
OPENING ADDRESS
09:10 - 09:35
DRILLING FOR WHITE HYDROGEN: NAVIGATING NEW FRONTIERS


Robert Gales
Halliburton
- Examining subsurface uncertainty through detection modeling and drilling challenges linked to hydrogen diffusivity
- Assessing material and operational risks, including alloy selection, cementing practices, fluid monitoring, and well integrity design
- Evaluating regulatory evolution, infrastructure readiness, and commercial risk while positioning early movers in emerging markets
09:35 - 09:40
Q&A SESSION ON TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL RISKS IN WHITE HYDROGEN
09:40 - 10:05
BUILDING A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR NATURAL HYDROGEN PRODUCTION IN MINNESOTA


Don Elsenheimer
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Presenting Minnesota’s efforts to establish regulations for natural hydrogen production
- The role of active exploration in rift systems and iron ranges in shaping regulatory priorities
- Mapping the complexities of developing oversight in a state without prior oil and gas regulation
- Assessing current rulemaking activities and key milestones through May 2026
10:05 - 10:10
Q&A SESSION ON STATE-LEVEL APPROACHES TO NATURAL HYDROGEN OVERSIGHT
10:10 - 10:40
SPEED NETWORKING SESSION
- Exchange business cards and get connected in short one-to-one meetings
- Start the conversation to arrange a more formal meeting later on in the conference
- Share your professional background and discuss your biggest business issues – don't forget your business cards!
10:40 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
11:00 - 11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE ROLE OF GEOLOGICAL HYDROGEN IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION
- Defining success metrics and critical decisions shaping hydrogen’s path toward scalable, repeatable, bankable energy deployment
- Industries with strongest profit potential from natural hydrogen and investment benefits for accelerating energy transition opportunities
- Geological hydrogen’s potential as a low-cost, scalable resource offering a cleaner alternative to blue and green hydrogen
| GeoKiln
| H2Valley
| SLB
11:30 - 11:55
LEGAL UPDATE ON NATURAL HYDROGEN EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION


William Garner
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
- Recent legislative changes with respect to the exploration and production of natural hydrogen
- Legal updates impacting natural hydrogen projects, with practical context and takeaways
11:55 - 12:00
Q&A SESSION ON LEGAL UPDATES FOR NATURAL HYDROGEN PROJECTS
12:00 - 12:25
WHAT MAKES NATURAL HYDROGEN ELIGIBLE FOR PROJECT FINANCE


Adam Erlichman
TA Growth Capital
- Establishing bankable assets through resource characterization and reserve certification
- Securing predictable revenues through offtake visibility and infrastructure comparables
- Strengthening debt capacity through production cost advantages and resilient economics
- Reducing lender and investor risk through policy incentives and geological validation
12:25 - 12:30
Q&A SESSION ON SCALING AND DE RISKING NATURAL HYDROGEN PROJECTS
12:30 - 13:30
NETWORKING LUNCH & VISITING THE DRILLING FOR HYDROGEN EXHIBITION
13:30 - 13:55
COMMERCIALIZING GEOLOGICAL HYDROGEN: PRODUCT GAS FEASIBILITY AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY


Max Kolbe
Chiyoda International Corporation
- Examining key surface facility considerations by evaluating product gas options, offtaker requirements, and market alignment
- Processing and treating hydrogen, including local sales, on-site purification, and downstream uses such as pipelines, power, and liquefaction
- Building on LNG experience by outlining how proven surface technologies support a new U.S.–Japan concept study
- Concluding with an overview of Japan’s natural hydrogen status and the role of cross-border collaboration in future project development
13:55 - 14:00
Q&A SESSION ON PROCESSING AND PURIFICATION OF SUBSURFACE HYDROGEN
14:00 - 14:25
COMMERCIALIZING LOW-CARBON HYDROGEN: PRODUCTION WITH ENGINEERED MINERAL HYDROGEN


Colin McCulley
Vema Hydrogen
- Providing an overview of engineered mineral hydrogen as a scalable low-carbon hydrogen production pathway
- Addressing adoption challenges by discussing cost, energy intensity, and infrastructure needs across hydrogen markets
- Presenting pilot well results and operational learnings from early commercial deployment in North America
- Connecting engineered mineral hydrogen to grid stability, cost reduction, and long-term clean energy supply
14:25 - 14:30
Q&A SESSION ON COST AND SCALABILITY OF EMERGING HYDROGEN PATHWAYS
14:30 - 14:55
HYDROGEN-READY DIGITAL DRILLING TWIN: USING MATLAB FOR WELL DESIGN AND INTEGRITY


Darlington Etaje
PhiDrillSim
- Quantifying hydrogen prospect uncertainty across occurrence, pressure, and migration to guide well-planning decisions
- Propagating uncertainty through casing design, mud windows, and cement selection using Monte Carlo simulation
- Understanding hydrogen-specific leakage risks, including microannular flow, cement sensitivity, and steel effects
- Refining designs in near real time while drilling, producing ranked integrity risks and operational envelopes
14:55 - 15:00
Q&A SESSION ON RISK-WEIGHTED WELL DESIGN FOR GEOLOGIC H₂
15:00 - 15:30
AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
15:30 - 15:55
NEW LIFE AT THE END OF LIFE: TRANSITIONING OIL PRODUCTION TO CLEAN HYDROGEN


Paul Sandhu
ProtonH2
- Repurposing mature oil production sites for hydrogen and power generation at scale
- Enabling near-term commercial deployment through existing infrastructure, regulatory pathways, and available incentives
- Driving value creation from asset reuse, including extended production life cycles and improved financing outcomes
- Evaluating carbon intensity performance, including results below SMR and pathways toward net-negative emissions with subsurface capture
15:55 - 16:00
Q&A SESSION ON ECONOMIC AND CARBON OUTCOMES OF HYDROGEN PROJECTS
16:00 - 16:30
RESERVED PRESENTATION
16:30 - 16:55
GLOBAL DRILLING FOR NATURAL HYDROGEN: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW


Allegra Hosford Scheirer
Geomodeling Solutions LLC
- Compiling approximately 20 exploratory natural hydrogen wells drilled worldwide to date
- Characterizing hydrogen concentrations from trace levels to above 95% across prospects
- Summarizing associated gases, including helium, while linking compositions to geologic contexts
- Profiling drilling outcomes and early success indicators while informing future exploration
16:55 - 17:00
Q&A SESSION ON GLOBAL NATURAL HYDROGEN DRILLING RESULTS
17:00 - 18:00
NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION
Day 2 :
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026
08:30 - 09:00
MORNING REFRESHMENTS
09:00 - 09:10
OPENING ADDRESS
09:10 - 09:35
DISCIPLINED EXPLORATION FOR NATURAL HYDROGEN – REDUCING UNCERTAINTY BEFORE DRILLING


Emmanuel Masini
Mantle8
- Introducing a system-level geological approach for managing complexity in natural hydrogen exploration
- Applying integrated, low-impact exploration methods to reduce subsurface uncertainty early
- Establishing industrial-scale control through improved data quality, predictability, and decision-making
- Improving capital efficiency while strengthening environmental outcomes through disciplined exploration
09:35 - 09:40
Q&A SESSION ON DE-RISKING NATURAL HYDROGEN EXPLORATION
09:40 - 10:10
RESERVED PRESENTATION
10:10 - 10:35
GEOLOGIC HYDROGEN GENERATION IN ULTRAMAFIC HOSTED SYSTEMS IN STAGES AND WAVES


Tucker Ely
39 Alpha Research
- Geologic hydrogen generation occurs broadly in two reversible stages
- Stage one produces ~ µmol quantities of hydrogen per kilogram of rock, and is controlled by the oxidation state of the initial fluid and the mass ratio of water to reacting rock in the system
- Stage two follows, and can produce 10s to 100s of mmol hydrogen per kilogram of rock. The onset of stage 2 is controlled by the ratio of magnesium to silica in the reacted rock
- The onset of stage two is reversible, and can cause systems to naturally produce hydrogen in waves that oscillate between stage one and stage two
10:35 - 10:40
Q&A SESSION ON STAGED AND OSCILLATING GEOLOGIC HYDROGEN GENERATION
10:40 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
11:00 - 11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF NATURAL HYDROGEN IN THE ENERGY SECTOR
- Addressing risk, uncertainty, and investor confidence while identifying fastest pathways to commercial adoption of natural hydrogen
- Repurposing oil and gas infrastructure to accelerate deployment and improve economics of low-carbon hydrogen projects
- Critical technical milestones needed to unlock institutional capital and non-recourse finance for natural hydrogen projects
| Anning
| Eclipse Energy
| Grupo COBRA
11:30 - 11:55
HYDROGEN AND HELIUM SYSTEMS: CHARACTERISTICS AND CAVEATS FOR SUBSURFACE HYDROGEN


Steven Tedesco
Running Foxes Energy Inc.
- Reviewing existing drilling data and its implications for understanding hydrogen and helium subsurface systems
- Identifying key technical concerns, including flow rates, free hydrogen availability, and production consistency
- Exploring potential solutions, such as catalytic methods aimed at enhancing hydrogen release and extraction
11:55 - 12:00
Q&A SESSION ON TECHNICAL RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN SUBSURFACE HYDROGEN
12:00 - 12:25
COMPREHENSIVE 4E EVALUATION OF AN INTEGRATED LIQUEFACTION SYSTEM FOR NATURAL HYDROGEN


Jihyun Hwang
Korea Institute of Energy Technology
- Describing an integrated process for separating and liquefying natural hydrogen and natural gas from well gas streams
- Evaluating heat transfer curves using methods applied to validate the design and performance of critical liquefaction equipment
- Applying energy and exergy analysis techniques to confirm thermodynamic efficiency across the overall system
- Assessing economic factors by examining cost drivers, scalability, and commercial readiness
12:25 - 12:30
Q&A SESSION ON TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC INSIGHTS FOR NATURAL HYDROGEN
12:30 - 12:55
ENGINEERING INTELLIGENCE AGENTS FOR HYDROGEN WELL DESIGN


Robello Samuel
iDrillWell
- Translating hydrogen occurrence, pressure, and migration uncertainty into robust well design decisions
- Propagating uncertainty through well engineering workflows to strengthening drilling and storage plans
- Refining well designs in real time during operations while defining safe operating envelopes
12:55 - 13:00
Q&A SESSION ON SAFE OPERATING ENVELOPES FOR H2 WELLS
13:00 - 13:15
FEEDBACK AND RAFFLE DRAW
13:15 - 14:30
NETWORKING LUNCH
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