Bill Gates-backed Mantle8 wins French permit to search for natural hydrogen
4 Jun 2026
15:43
Mantle8 has secured its first exploration permit for natural hydrogen, as the Breakthrough Energy-backed startup bets it can produce the gas in a more affordable way.
"The cost difference is structural, not marginal," founder Emmanuel Masini tells Impact Loop.
"The cost difference is structural, not marginal," founder Emmanuel Masini tells Impact Loop.
France has granted startup rights to hunt for underground hydrogen deposits, as investors pour money into so-called ‘natural hydrogen’ as a clean fuel for heavy industry.
Mantle8, a Grenoble-based natural hydrogen explorer, now has an exclusive five-year permit to search for the gas beneath 739 square kilometres of the French Pyrenees mountain range.