'Bit of a gold rush' as companies search for underground hydrogen

Gold Hydrogen's been exploring for natural hydrogen in South Australia. (Supplied: Gold Hydrogen)

Exploration for natural hydrogen is expanding across Australia, with South Australia seen as a potential world leader.

The gas could be used as a zero emissions alternative to natural gas, or mixed with gas to reduce emissions.

Companies undertaking exploration say it could be a few years before natural hydrogen can be extracted, if found in viable quantities.

The hunt is on for underground stores of the universe's most abundant element, with Australia, and SA in particular, at the forefront of the emerging industry.

Natural hydrogen is being viewed as a potentially more economic way to accumulate hydrogen for use as a zero emissions energy source, and to replace "grey hydrogen" produced using fossil fuels.

In South Australia, a number of companies have obtained licences to explore for the so-called "gold hydrogen" in source rocks deep underground.

Adelaide University researcher Rachelle Kernen said this hydrogen could help cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's considered to be like the clean version of a fuel, compared to oil or natural gas," she said.

SA Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis said he viewed the resource as a potential "global game changer".

Tom Koutsantonis says hydrogen could be a game changer for industry. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)

"Hydrogen is one of those commodities whose time will come, and when it does come it will revolutionise Australian industry, and in fact global industry," he said.

"If we can harvest this naturally, it would really be a game changer."

This year, the South Australian government awarded exploration licence applications to ventures looking for natural hydrogen in the Otway Basin.

One of those projects is a joint venture between Thor Energy and H2EX, covering more than 4,000 square kilometres in SA's south-east.

Thor Energy CEO and managing director Andrew Hume said about 99 per cent of the world's hydrogen, used in a variety of industrial processes, was grey hydrogen.

But he said some industries were looking for more environmentally friendly sources.

"There's been a lot of hype around the manufactured 'green hydrogen' … but the Earth naturally produces hydrogen from the ground from a few different processes," he said.

Andrew Hume is bullish on hydrogen's future. (Supplied: Thor Energy)

One such location is an oil well east of the town of Robe, drilled in 1915, where samples taken contained about a 25 per cent hydrogen concentration.

"We'll start to explore and mature that area, and make s