JERA Co., Inc. – JERA has invested in Koloma, Inc. – Koloma, which is a U.S.-based natural hydrogen exploration and development company, via JERA Ventures, which is its corporate venture capital arm.

The investment and insights into Koloma’s strategy for natural hydrogen exploration and development will contribute to efforts put in by JERA so as to deepen its knowledge of the potential of natural hydrogen as future form of low-carbon energy.

Koloma, based in Denver, Colorado, uses proprietary geological data, unique exploration equipment, and field experience to locate and assess potential natural hydrogen resources. The company has collected over $400 million from investors such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures as well as Amazon.

Growing interest is taking place in natural hydrogen, which is found underground as an alternative low-carbon energy source. Manufactured hydrogen needs a substantial energy input for production, while natural hydrogen as future form of low-carbon energy exists naturally below the surface of the Earth and is capable of being obtained directly, without the requirement for energy-intensive manufacturing procedures. If commercially viable resources can be discovered and produced at scale, this could therefore offer a cheaper source of low-carbon hydrogen.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there could be some 5.6 trillion metric tonnes of natural hydrogen buried underground around the world, yet just a small portion of that is likely to be retrieved, either technically or economically. Natural hydrogen has been discovered in several places around the world, but no commercially viable deposits have been found yet.

JERA is looking for new energy solutions by means of investment in new technologies and businesses that can help ensure energy security and reduce carbon emissions.

The company says that it will continue to partner with innovative businesses to develop new solutions in an effort to create a dependable and lower carbon energy system.