A recent study revealed that natural gas from the Nagsasa seep in San Antonio, Zambales, has the highest recorded gas seepage capable of producing renewable energy to meet the power demands of the town.

These gas seeps, also known as “outgassing,” have released a record 800 tons of geologic hydrogen. This amount surpasses the previous record of 200 tons reported in Albania in 2024.

Featured in the 68th episode of Behind the Science Podcast recently, the study titled “High hydrogen outgassing from an ophiolite-hosted seep in Zambales, Philippines” showed that researchers recorded at least 808 tons per year of natural surface outgassing from the Nagsasa seep alone, which is one of, if not, the highest measured hydrogen degassing from ophiolites to date.

The Nagsasa town has about an area of more than 1 hectare of field with gas seeps.

According to Dr. Karmina A. Aquino, geological chemist and a Science and Technology fellow from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), these natural hydrogen fluxes measured in the country are a possible source of renewable energy and is significant to supplement the power demand of the town of San Antonio which is hosting the seep.

Citing a result of the study, it said that the surface outgassing in the seep may generate 12,861 to 15,185 megawatt-hour (MWh) per year which is up to 42 percent of the estimated 36,600 MWh demand of San Antonio.

Additionally, according to Aquino, San Antonio has approximately 10,000 households, some of which are currently unelectrified and tapping this freely available energy resource would be beneficial for the communities near the Nagsasa seep, which is currently not connected to the grid.

Moreover, highlighting the importance of natural hydrogen to address the current global climate situation, Aquino shared that the International Energy Agency set a global target of 500 million tons of clean hydrogen for its ‘net-zero emissions goal’ by 2050.

This target is aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. 

“96 percent of hydrogen produced today is formed from fossil fuels like methane. So yung methane, ico-convert mo siya to hydrogen. So Ch4, plus methane produces hydrogen, pero mag po-produce ka rin ng carbon dioxide which is not clean,” Aquino said.

Aquino further explained that a geologic hydrogen, also known as natural hydrogen, refers to the gas naturally found beneath the earth’s surface which are formed through the water-rock interaction.

“We knew this for so long. Actually, the Philippines is one of the OG [original] sites for geologic hydrogen, as early as 1980s or earlier,” Aquino said.

Since geologic hydrogen is being produced naturally, it has been widely used for a long time now in several sites worldwide, according to Aquino. Citing an example, she said that in the US, there are a lot of funds allocated for geologic hydrogen exploration.

“In the Philippines, there are known sites, and we know there is hydrogen there, but we don’t know how much we can get and if it’s worth pursuing and if it’s economical,” Aquino said.

Aquino, together with her colleagues first measured the outgassing rate of natural hydrogen in Zambales because it is more accessible than the other sites like in Palawan.

Also, sources across the web showed that Zambales is internationally recognized as the well-preserved example of Ophiolite—a fragment of the Earth's oceanic crust and underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed on land, often emplaced onto continental crust.

“But for now, the only immediate use (hydrogen gas) is as mixed gas [hydrogen and methane] for the gasifier generation system,” Aquino said.

Currently, Aquino and her team are coordinating with the DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) if they can provide them with gas and if they can develop a similar system where they can directly convert hydrogen into electricity.

The study is funded by the DOST Grants-in-Aid Program.

The S&T fellow program is an initiative of the DOST where highly qualified experts are encouraged to help increase the number of scientists per population, and to boost the research and development capacity of the DOST. Fellows are expected to come up with R&D projects and participate in the conceptualization, policy and funding development, and monitoring and evaluation of various R&D programs and projects.

This program is also aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions, Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph. (By Claire Bernadette A. Mondares, DOST-STII)

View of Nagsasa Cove in San Antonio, Zambales. (Photo credits to Christian Tabuga)