Natural hydrogen gas is generated through a range of geochemical and biochemical reactions within rock formations. It has recently gained significant attention as a potential clean energy source following discoveries of natural hydrogen accumulations and seeps in multiple parts of the world. Whilst hydrogen already has many real-world applications, including metal treatment, fertiliser production and chemical manufacturing, interest is increasingly being driven by the need for cleaner fuels as it does not produce carbon emissions when it is burned.

There is still much that scientists need to understand about how natural hydrogen systems evolve over time, including the relationships between subsurface rocks and the minerals, fluids and microbes that determine the potential for generation, transport and accumulation at scales required for commercial applications.

To improve our understanding of this natural resource, BGS scientists have recently undertaken research on rock samples from a hydrogen-generating system using the in Harwell, UK. The Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility and is capable of generating very intense light that is 10 billion times brighter than the Sun. Such bright light, mainly in the form of X-rays, enabled BGS scientists and collaborators from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences to study hydrogen-generating processes down to the atomic scale.

The samples were collected from several areas within an ophiolite-hosted natural hydrogen system in Zambales, Philippines, as part of a project undertaken by PNRI scientists (Aquino et al., 2025). Surface-hydrogen flux measurements in bubbling springs and seeps from this area represent some of the highest natural fluxes reported in the world, pointing to a potentially significant hydrogen resource.

Using the unique capabilities at the Diamond Light Source has been a great opportunity to investigate the behaviour of key elements in hydrogen seep systems at an unprecedented level of detail. This is an important step towards understanding the drivers of natural hydrogen generation in ophiolitic environments, not only in the Philippines but worldwide, helping to identify where similar resources may occur and how they could be evaluated.

Dr Ruth Delina-Agillon, BGS experimental geochemist and principal investigator of the research conducted at the Diamond Light Source.

We anticipate that our new, atomic-scale data will provide a better understanding of the geochemical controls driving the hydrogen-generation process. The datasets are currently being analysed in detail ahead of publication. These findings will be relevant to other, geologically similar systems worldwide, supporting coordinated international efforts to identify and prioritise sites for data-driven exploration.

Acknowledgment

The Diamond Light Source is acknowledged for access to the I20 beamline under proposal 42859 and Dr Shusaku Hayama is thanked for assistance during the experiment.

The Diamond Light Source facility is funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Science and Technology Facilities Council and by the Wellcome Trust.

More information

Find out more about our natural hydrogen research on the BGS website.

Demand for critical minerals is rapidly increasing in response to the global transition to net zero, with UK demand for lithium predicted to quadruple by 2050. To secure future supply, the UK has set ambitious recycling targets for critical minerals.

New analysis from the , hosted by the British Geological Survey (BGS), provides a detailed assessment of the UK’s future demand and secondary supply availability for the key technology metals that are required for green energy technologies and electric transportation.

By 2035, the Government aims to meet 20 per cent of annual critical mineral demand through , also known as secondary supply or the circular economy. However, the new research also highlights that, within this timeframe, only a small number of critical minerals used in photovoltaic technologies are expected to be found in sufficient quantities to theoretically reach or exceed this ambition. The prospects improve dramatically, however, when the timescale is extended out to 2050, as increasing availability of end-of-life material is forecast to meet or exceed domestic demand for several critical minerals.

The assessment found that, between 2040 and 2050, ‘secondary’ raw material availability could provide:

• more than 60 per cent of the cumulative demand for battery metals
• more than 85 per cent of the cumulative demand for the rare earth elements (REEs) used in magnets (neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium)
• more than 90 per cent of the cumulative demand for silver and 75 per cent for tin used in photovoltaics (solar panels)

Although secondary supply has the potential to offset primary demand after 2040, the rapid growth of electric vehicles, wind turbines and photovoltaics means that, in the short term, primary supply (that is extracted directly from the ground) will remain essential to meet growth sectors, fill supply gaps and account for unavoidable material losses or non-recovery. This includes continued reliance on imports of lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper and REEs, and highlights the importance of supply chain diversification, responsible sourcing and strategic international partnerships. 

The report highlights that investment, capacity building, development of reverse supply chains and further data supporting the circular economy will be required to support the UK’s transition toward secure, resilient supplies of critical minerals and technology metals and to realise the long-term supply potential available through recovery and recycling.

This study demonstrates that secondary supply of technology metals has the potential to become a major contributor to UK material security. Our research shows that several elements will approach or exceed anticipated domestic demand by mid-century.

However, realising this potential will depend on several factors, including clear policy direction on technology metals recovery, investment in recycling and refining infrastructure and the development of integrated reverse supply chains and skilled labour.

Primary supply will remain essential but, with timely and coordinated action, the UK can build a more resilient, circular and secure critical materials system capable of supporting its 2050 net zero ambitions.

Dr Evi Petavratzi, principal mineral commodity expert at BGS.

The report ‘’ is available to download from the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre website.

Detailed subsurface information is required to increase the uptake of geothermal energy technologies. Geothermal energy, including ground source heat pumps, can contribute to energy security and to clean energy such as decarbonised heating.

The second version of the includes the addition of nearly 14 000 more data points derived from 1800 sites to inform geothermal assessments. The digital release contains validated intellectual property rights and datasets from BGS-authored papers, new BGS thermal conductivity laboratory measurements and a bottom-hole temperature dataset from the UK Onshore Geophysical Library.

The data release comprises a series of  and an accompanying that can be accessed for use under the Open Government Licence, with the acknowledgement ‘Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026’. This data adds to the openly available geothermal data, models and information already contained within the and .

The open release of the second digital version of the UK geothermal catalogue further adds to over 90 datasets and more than 60 reports that have been available on the since August 2025. The data informs the feasibility stages of project developments, supporting the growth of the geothermal energy sector. The user guide describes the data sources and the acknowledged limitations with legacy datasets that are included.

Dr Alison Monaghan, head of BGS Geothermal.

In 2025, BGS launched the UK Geothermal Platform, which provides national- to local-scale information on geothermal potential across shallow and deep technology options. The platform draws together diverse information and synthesises it to deliver the information needed by heat policy, heat networks, the national zoning model and planning specialists. Towns, cities and industrial sites can be assessed for the potential to retrofit geothermal technology and new development zones can be quickly assessed for strategic use of geothermal energy from the start of the development or planning cycle.

Critical minerals are central to modern society and the global transition to cleaner energy systems. These minerals include the rare earth elements, which are essential for electric motors and wind turbines, as well as those that underpin battery technologies such as lithium, graphite, cobalt and nickel. As demand grows, countries worldwide are seeking to better understand the distribution, quality and economic potential of their geological resources, particularly in under-explored regions.

Across the African continent, geological survey organisations (GSOs) play vital, national roles in gathering, managing and interpreting geological and mineral data. The availability of such data supports good governance, sustainable development and transparent decision making, so strengthening this capability is essential to enabling countries to fully benefit from their natural resources.

For the past three years, BGS has been working in partnership with the Geological Survey Department of Zambia (GSD) to advance their understanding of the country’s natural resources. Together, we are making better use of Zambia’s existing geological data to improve national understanding of key metals and minerals such as copper, graphite, lithium and cobalt. This collaboration is grounded in shared priorities: building national capacity, improving data accessibility and supporting long-term, sustainable development.

How GSD is supporting the Zambian government’s critical minerals ambitions

A dedicated team of GSD geologists has been working with BGS specialists to strengthen Zambia’s national capability in critical minerals. This began with the development and publication of the guide, a national reference designed to support government planning and industry engagement. Building on this guide, GSD and BGS are now working on a new, national-scale critical mineral occurrence map. Focusing on Zambia’s eleven designated critical minerals, the map integrates the country’s most up-to-date geological information, mineral occurrences, verified deposits and operational mining and processing facilities. Built from high-quality, GIS-ready datasets, updated infrastructure data and insights from recent joint field campaigns, the map represents the most detailed digital geological dataset currently available for national planning and investment promotion.

Both the guide and draft map were formally launched on 25 February 2026 and received strong support from Zambia’s mineral exploration sector, government ministries and academia, reflecting widespread recognition of the importance of the map and guide to Zambia’s mineral strategy, helping to build confidence in the sector.

Partnerships for the future

As global demand for critical minerals grows, the role of GSOs and the partnerships between them will only become more important. Such partnerships strengthen national capability by combining technical expertise, modern data practices and long-term capacity building. GSOs and the data they manage provide the authoritative, long-term scientific evidence needed to understand a country’s resources, support safe and sustainable development and guide informed decision making across government, industry and society.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) has released a new shallow subsurface geological synthesis of the southern North Sea in the first formal review of this region since the 1990s. A wealth of new subsurface data has been generated through the rapid expansion of offshore wind farm (OWF) development since the last assessment.

In total, the new synthesis draws on data from 22 OWFs and cable landfall sites from recent publications and open data available through The Crown Estate’s . Bringing these diverse datasets together presented a rare opportunity to enhance our geological understanding of the region, providing a detailed baseline resource to support more efficient and better-informed offshore development projects in the future.

Findings from the updated review have revealed much greater geological complexity within the region than indicated by the previous assessment, which was developed between the 1970s and 1990s on the back of data collected during oil and gas developments. Modern OWF investigations, supported by comprehensive borehole drilling, cone penetration tests and seismic datasets, show that many of the geological formations contain a variety of distinct sedimentary characteristics. This complexity has direct implications for foundation design and ground modelling, including the identification of geo-engineering constraints and geohazards, which is crucial information for a wide range of offshore infrastructure development.

The assessment examined evidence across pre-glacial, glacial, interglacial and post‑glacial periods from 200 million years ago to the present day. Understanding how different sedimentary units were deposited provides vital insight into geological formations that may present specific geo-engineering complications. This includes mixed soils, boulders, glacially compacted sediments or organic-rich layers. Organic units can be problematic for cable installation due to their fibrous nature, presenting considerable challenges to cable routing.

It is not a requirement for UK offshore infrastructure projects to collect samples for dating and biostratigraphy; however, where they are available, absolute dating (radiocarbon and optical stimulated luminescence data) information has also been included within the assessment. Neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands recognise the value of this data, as it can help to better predict age-based sedimentary characteristics and ultimately better inform geotechnical characterisation around a project’s design.

The report outlines several recommendations to enhance the resource further, including improving fine-scale mapping, ingesting geotechnical datasets for each geological subunit and strengthening international collaboration to harmonise North Sea stratigraphy. The findings presented in the main report can be aligned with results presented in the , which is a data catalogue highlighting the key geological features and associated engineering constraints for OWF development as part of the . Both resources provide complementary datasets and criteria essential for evaluating OWF site suitability.

This work provides:

• an opportunity to advance scientific understanding
• resources to strengthen national collaboration
• supporting baseline evidence for the energy transition, energy security and wider marine planning
  

The release of this report marks an important milestone in compiling geological observations from literature and offshore wind farm development over the past 30 years or so. It brings together a wealth of new offshore geological data that enhances our understanding of the shallow subsurface in the marine environment in the southern North Sea. We hope this dataset will provide strong baseline evidence to support national and international collaboration for efficient offshore development and act as a blueprint for other areas around the UK Continental Shelf.

Nikki Dakin, BGS Senior Marine Geoscientist

We would encourage similar consolidation of geological information across the wider North Sea, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, The Solent and English Channel, making full use of the substantial dataset holdings within the Marine Data Exchange. There is also significant potential to extend this approach internationally, working with neighbouring countries.

Such data provides a robust evidence base for industry, regulators and researchers, marking an important step toward a fully modernised geological model and improving our understanding of offshore stratigraphy across the UK Continental Shelf.

The report and geological assessment are now available online: .

BGS would like to acknowledge The Crown Estate as well as wind farm developers for contributing reports and data to The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange.

Scientists from the UK Critical Mineral Intelligence Centre (CMIC) provided a live webinar, showcasing major research outputs from the last year:

• copper waste and scrap flows for the UK
• future of digital
• the methodological progress on criticality assessments

The presentations were followed by a question-and-answer session with the panel.
A recording of the event is now available below.

A recording of the webinar is now available.

As acknowledged in Vision 2035: The UK Critical Minerals Strategy, critical minerals underpin the UK’s economy, technology, energy transition, industrial resilience and national security. As global markets and geopolitics become more volatile and supply chains more complex, the UK must continually refine how it identifies and manages supply risks for its material needs.

The UK’s foremost research agencies and institutes have come together to launch the National Research Organisations (NRO) Group. The NRO Group is a trusted partner for government, academia and industry, providing a unified and authoritative perspective on science, policy and research investment to make research matter.

The NRO Group has been formed to address fragmentation across the UK research landscape and unlock the full potential of national research organisations. This will involve clearer governance, strategic alignment and better visibility of these unique capabilities. By creating an authoritative, collegiate voice and a trusted interface, the NRO Group ensures science-based insight informs decisions and connects major national priorities to improve people’s lives, boost growth and ensure security and resilience, while also driving progress toward net zero and UK environmental goals.

Research and development are essential to building a better Britain. From new treatments for cancer to breakthroughs in clean energy or developing the computers of the future, the path to a stronger economy and society will be dependent on science and innovation.

There has never been a better time for the UK’s research institutes and public research bodies to pull together. By aligning their capabilities to deliver maximum impact, the NRO Group will be a key part of our efforts to ensure that science and technology benefits everyone.

Lord Vallance, Science Minister. 

BGS has a long history of working closely with fellow research institutes and organisations, and we are delighted to be part of the National Research Organisations Group. Geoscience has a crucial role to play in addressing societal challenges and enabling economic growth and we look forward to continuing our work as part of this initiative, delivering geoscience for benefit of society.

Dr Karen Hanghøj, BGS Director.

The NRO Group brings together many agencies and institutes that provide unique national and international capabilities. Their principal purpose is to perform curiosity-driven and focused full-time research, from searching for new antibiotics to the clean jet engines of the future. The group is underpinned by a formal partnership agreement, to generate maximum value for the economy, security and the lives of people.

I’ve worked with many national research organisations over the last 25 years and have consistently been inspired by how their science improves lives, drives growth and ensures our national security. Through the new NRO Group, we aim to do even more good for the nation and our people.

Dr Stuart Wainwright, director of the NRO Group and CEO of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

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