Helix Exploration PLC, the helium exploration and development company with near-term production assets within the 'Montana Helium Fairway', has announced breakthrough scientific results from its flagship Rudyard Project.

An independent study by Dr. Michael Hofmann of AIM GeoAnalytics has confirmed that rock cuttings from the Rudyard wells contain the same minerals that naturally generate H₂ deep within the Earth-including serpentine, olivine, and magnetite. These minerals occur in mafic and ultramafic rocks, which release H₂ when they react with water under heat and pressure, underscoring significant potential for geological H₂ generation at the Rudyard Project.

Complementing these findings, prior isotope analysis by Durham University revealed a ³He/⁴He ratio of 0.74 Rₐ, showing a measurable mantle helium component-which demonstrates the chemical fingerprint of deep-Earth fluids rising into the Rudyard system.

Highlights

• Elevated helium-isotope signature: Analysis from the Rudyard Project recorded a consistent ³He/⁴He ratio of 0.74 Rₐ, over 3,600% above average continental-crust values (0.02 Rₐ) representing some of the highest recorded in continental North America outside of Yellowstone with Helium-3 concentration averaging greater than 10 ppb.
• Confirmed mantle contribution and geological implications: Isotopic modelling suggests roughly 9% of Rudyard's helium originates from the mantle. This deep-Earth connection not only replenishes helium within the reservoir but also facilitates the water-rock reactions that generate natural H₂ at depth - a key indicator of Rudyard's long-term potential as both a helium and H₂
• H₂ potential: Geochemical results establish Rudyard as one of the few verified H₂-prone ultramafic systems in North America and has the potential to produce some of the world's cleanest H₂ with zero CO₂ emissions.

Nearly all H₂ used today is made from steam methane reforming (SMR) of natural gas, a process that releases large volumes of CO₂ and produces what is known as gray H₂. By contrast, geological H₂ is created naturally underground, requiring no fossil-fuel feedstock and emitting zero carbon when produced.

If confirmed at commercial scale, the H₂ at Rudyard has the potential to represent one of the cleanest and most cost-effective H₂ resource known on Earth-potentially meeting and exceeding the U.S. Department of Energy's "H₂ Shot" goal, which aims to reduce the cost of producing clean H₂ to $1 per 1 kilogram within one decade (the 1:1:1 goal).