British geoscience firm Getech and energy transition company Sound Energy have come together to form a new joint venture in Morocco.
The newly created company, HyMaroc Limited, will focus on exploring the country’s natural reserves of hydrogen and helium, resources that could play a pivotal role in tomorrow’s energy mix.
This partnership follows the completion of a regional survey that identified promising underground zones across Moroccan territory.
According to Getech, these findings mark the beginning of a new chapter, as HyMaroc prepares to seek exclusive rights to explore and develop these sites. The company now stands at the center of efforts to map Morocco’s subsurface potential and, eventually, launch targeted drilling campaigns.
For Getech’s Commercial Director Max Brouwers, Morocco offers more than just geological promise.
“Getech’s unique hydrogen and helium exploration workflows are built on the twin foundations of our hugely valuable global geophysics data and our ability to understand and model the genetic factors involved in their formation; categorising the geological model into sources, migration paths, reservoirs, traps and seals in much the same way as the petroleum industry has successfully done for many decades,” Brouwers said.
At the heart of the venture lies native hydrogen, often referred to as “white hydrogen.”
Unlike hydrogen produced through electrolysis or fossil fuels, white hydrogen occurs naturally underground. Its discovery in commercial quantities could offer a low-cost, low-emission alternative to conventional hydrogen sources.
Morocco’s large inland basins and its rising status as a renewable energy hub enhance its appeal.
In addition to hydrogen, helium, often found in the same reservoirs, brings further value, given its critical use in medical, scientific, and high-tech applications.
With HyMaroc, the two companies hope to place Morocco at the forefront of a new global energy frontier.
