What is BE.Hydrogen — The Programme Explained

BE.Hydrogen is a multi-year programme that will map the real potential of natural hydrogen on Belgian territory. The Belgian subsoil has exceptional geological diversity, with several possible hydrogen formation mechanisms: deep degassing, coal basins, oxidation reactions, and radiolysis in deep granites.

The programme runs on two parallel research tracks. The first is geological modelling — asking “where is H₂ expected?” and developing a geological model that integrates known formation and migration mechanisms of hydrogen, incorporating both existing data and new field research. The second track is geochemical sampling — systematic collection of soil gas, groundwater and rock samples to detect hydrogen presence and estimate concentrations.

Belgium’s former industrial basins — Hainaut, Liège, Limbourg, Namur — share Hercynian basement geology with Lorraine · GSB has identified several theoretical zones of interest · BE.Hydrogen Phase 1 budget: €1.5M from ETS revenues · Photo: Unsplash

With the support of the Ministers of Science Policy and Climate, the Council of Ministers approved funding for this national programme through ETS revenues. The €1.5 million Phase 1 budget — modest by energy sector standards — is designed to generate the scientific data needed to determine whether targeted drilling is warranted. A first evaluation will be conducted in two years, in spring 2028. There is no question of drilling in Belgium at this stage, let alone large-scale extraction of white hydrogen, given the many unknowns and technical challenges that remain.

The Pontpierre Visit — Why Belgium Went to Lorraine

On Tuesday May 26, 2026, Minister Jean-Luc Crucke and representatives of the Geological Survey of Belgium visited the Pontpierre site in Lorraine, France, where white hydrogen was detected. This working visit formed part of the further development of BE.Hydrogen, and provided an opportunity to compare field experience and scientific insights with the Belgian approach and ambitions regarding natural hydrogen exploration.

The REGALOR II borehole at Pontpierre, Moselle — drilled to 3,655 metres · Minister Crucke and GSB scientists visited May 26, 2026 · The site sits 80km from Luxembourg, 120km from Liège · Photo: Unsplash

At the visit, GSB project coordinators Estelle Petitclerc and Kris Welkenhuysen presented the state of the art and plans for Belgian research. The GSB has already identified several theoretical zones of interest based on geological features related to hydrogen-forming processes.

Belgium’s Geological Potential — What the Science Suggests

Initial analyses carried out by the Geological Survey of Belgium also suggest the possible presence of white hydrogen in the Belgian subsurface. The geological case rests on the shared heritage of the Greater Region’s basement rocks. Belgium’s former coal basins — stretching from Hainaut through Namur and Liège to Limbourg — overlie the same ancient Hercynian basement as the Lorraine deposit. The Ardennes massif in southern Belgium adds further targets, with its deep crystalline rocks and potential for radiolysis-driven hydrogen generation.

Whether this hydrogen occurs in economically relevant quantities still needs to be demonstrated. The programme aims to fill this knowledge gap and reduce uncertainties, making it possible in time to carry out targeted, well-founded exploration. The key distinction from Lorraine is geological setting: while the Lorraine case does not provide all the answers for Belgium due to differences in geological setting, it offers valuable opportunities for cross-border exchange of expertise.

The Ardennes massif and Hercynian basement of southern Belgium — GSB has identified theoretical hydrogen formation zones through deep degassing, coal basin reactions, oxidation processes and radiolysis in deep granites · Photo: Unsplash

The Greater Region Strategic Picture — Belgium + Lorraine + Luxembourg

The BE.Hydrogen launch is not an isolated national initiative — it is part of an emerging cross-border geological hydrogen landscape that encompasses Belgium, Luxembourg, Lorraine and potentially Germany’s Saarland. If both the Lorraine deposit and a Belgian equivalent are confirmed, the Greater Region would become Europe’s first territory with two adjacent sovereign natural hydrogen resources.

The infrastructure logic follows: the HY4Link cross-border hydrogen pipeline, which holds EU Project of Common Interest status, is designed to connect Lorraine through Luxembourg to Belgium and Germany. A Belgian natural hydrogen source feeding into HY4Link from the north, combined with Lorraine supply from the south, would create a genuine hydrogen production hub — with sufficient volumes to support large-scale Power-to-Liquid e-fuels production for aviation and road transport.

Minister Crucke dubbed the potential find a “gamechanger,” stressing that these initial digs will reveal just how big and valuable the reservoirs might be. The scientific caution is appropriate — no commercial confirmation exists yet, and the programme is explicitly framed as a knowledge-gathering exercise. But the political signal is unambiguous: Belgium is not waiting to see what France discovers in Lorraine. It is actively exploring its own geological potential, in parallel, with government funding and ministerial leadership.

BE.Hydrogen is the beginning of Belgium’s relationship with its own geological energy resources. Spring 2028 will tell us whether that relationship has a future.