Engineering firm Wood will work with start-up Eclipse Energy on producing hydrogen from disused oil wells using microbes at a target price of $0.5 per kilogramme.
A newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the pair looks to repurpose existing oil reservoirs into hydrogen extraction sites using Eclipse’s subsurface hydrogen technology.
The firm – formerly Gold H2 – says its technology injects water, microbes, and nutrients into depleted oil wells, effectively turning them into underground bioreactors which break down remaining hydrocarbons into hydrogen.
According to the Texas-based company, it can deliver hydrogen at a price equivalent to natural gas. In June 2025, it claimed to have produced its first hydrogen molecules from an oil field in California’s San Joaquin Basin.
While details remain thin, Eclipse says it will progress “multiple projects this year” and identifies oilfield services company, Weatherford, as an execution partner.
Germany-headquartered Path2 Hydrogen recently revealed a similar project aimed at hydrogen production from disused wells in Europe.
