Koloma, a Denver-based start-up that is rapidly emerging as one of the most closely watched players in the natural hydrogen sector, is actively pioneering efforts to explore and commercialize geologic hydrogen in the United States. With a war chest of approximately $400 million from blue-chip investors including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, United Airlines’ Sustainable Flight Fund, and Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Koloma stands at the forefront of what some are now calling the new gold rush, the race to discover and harvest naturally occurring underground hydrogen, or white hydrogen, as a scalable zero-carbon fuel source.
At the heart of Koloma’s U.S. efforts is the project in Notus, Idaho, where the company operates as Cascade Exploration. Idaho’s rich volcanic geology, dominated by iron-heavy basalt formations, provides an optimal setting for natural hydrogen generation. Here, the company is preparing to drill its first vertical stratigraphic test wells, targeting an approximately 280-acre tract west of Boise. This site was selected based on studies indicating a medium probability of hydrogen prospectivity due to its Miocene volcanic rocks and interbedded sandstones, which are believed to provide the necessary geological conditions, water interacting with iron-rich rock, to generate and trap hydrogen gas.
The Idaho Department of Lands has granted Koloma a drilling permit for its Twin Peaks 1W test well, projected to a depth of over 3,600 meters. It is important to note, however, that this initial well is intended purely for data collection, stratigraphic and geological surveying to inform further activity and to determine if commercial-scale production is viable. Industry insiders stress that while Idaho offers promising geology, the actual abundance and recoverability of underground hydrogen remain uncertain. The U.S. Geological Survey’s hydrogen prospectivity map rates the site as a medium chance for success, highlighting both the technological promise and the exploratory risk inherent in Koloma’s bet.
Hydrogen, especially geologic hydrogen, is uniquely appealing for decarbonizing energy-intensive sectors such as heavy industry, aviation, and long-duration energy storage. Unlike conventional “gray” hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas and releases significant carbon dioxide, geologic hydrogen, formed deep underground by the natural reaction of water and iron-rich rock, replenishes itself much more quickly than fossil fuels and emits no carbon when extracted and burned. To date, the only commercially producing hydrogen well in the world is in Mali, West Africa, making Koloma’s Idaho project one of the most watched U.S. clean energy pilots in years.
Since launching in 2021, Koloma has attracted more than $400 million in funding. Major rounds have been led by Khosla Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and notable corporate investors including Amazon, United Airlines, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This influx underscores growing institutional faith in geologic hydrogen’s potential, especially as the U.S. government unveils incentive programs such as a $3 per kilogram tax credit for clean hydrogen production covering natural hydrogen as well as other “green” pathways.
Koloma’s Idaho work is only the beginning. The company is concurrently developing natural hydrogen projects in Kansas and Iowa, both regions of interest for their distinct geological characteristics and subsurface iron-rich formations, alongside recently announced international programs. Across its sites, Koloma’s proprietary technology stack and rigorous use of artificial intelligence for subsurface targeting aim to optimize the odds of a breakthrough in both resource identification and eventual commercial extraction.
The potential payoff for Koloma and the broader industry is enormous. Commercial geologic hydrogen could disrupt global energy markets, offering a locally sourced, zero-carbon fuel with profound implications for climate policy, industrial energy, and rural economic development. Nonetheless, obstacles remain. Subsurface hydrogen prospecting is still a frontier field, with significant technical and commercial risks. Regulatory clarity is also evolving, as governments catch up with science and investment trends. Early Idaho regulatory filings emphasize that current wells are for exploratory data gathering, critical for defining rules of the road should large-scale extraction become practical.
For now, Koloma’s Idaho project is a test case with global significance. Should the company succeed, even with modest production flows, it would demonstrate the feasibility of geologic hydrogen in the U.S. and set the stage for a new chapter in America’s clean energy transition. Success could trigger additional drilling and investment across other volcanic and iron-rich basins in North America and abroad, as companies race to capture the “new gold rush” of natural, renewable hydrogen. With heavyweight investors, cutting-edge science, and a bold vision, Koloma is determined to discover if Idaho, and the broader American interior, will be the next frontier in truly sustainable energy. (Source: nath2investin, hydrogenfuelnews)
