01 / FORMATION MECHANISM
Serpentinization
Ultramafic rocks, rich in iron and magnesium, react with water to produce hydrogen through serpentinization.
Water + iron-bearing minerals
Water–rock reaction
H H
Molecular hydrogen H₂
NATURAL HYDROGEN EXPLORATION & INFRASTRUCTUREBeneath the surface.Canada’s natural
Beneath the surface.Canada’s natural
hydrogen opportunity.
GEOLOGY · INFRASTRUCTURE · NORTHERN ENERGYDiscover NorthLight
01 / THE OPPORTUNITYAn energy resource.
An energy resource.
A northern perspective.
For generations, northern mines and communities have depended on energy transported across extraordinary distances. Natural hydrogen introduces the possibility of developing an energy resource within the geological regions where they are already established.
NorthLight is a natural hydrogen exploration and infrastructure company pursuing that opportunity—bringing together geoscience, mining expertise and a commercial strategy grounded in the requirements of northern energy supply.
02 / THE NORTHERN ENERGY CONTEXT
The North runs on diesel.
In remote northern communities, energy supply is inseparable from the infrastructure of daily life. Homes, schools, health centres and water systems depend on reliable power, while heating and transportation place further demands on delivered fuel.
Fuel must be procured, transported and stored, often within short seasonal delivery windows. The resulting costs extend into utility operations, public budgets and the long-term investment required to maintain essential services.
NorthLight’s objective is to explore the potential for local natural hydrogen supply within that context, with community priorities informing project design and opportunities for Indigenous and Inuit participation in development and ownership.
The diesel journey to the North
- 01
Refinery
Diesel produced in southern refineries.
- 02
Truck
Transported by road or winter road where routes permit.
- 03
Sealift
Seasonal shipping to northern destinations.
- 04
Storage
Bulk storage for fuel delivered ahead of use.
- 05
Community
Local generation for homes and essential services.
03 / EXPLORATION & ACCESSInfrastructure changes
Infrastructure changes
the exploration equation.
Decades of mining have created access to the subsurface: deep boreholes, geological records and operating infrastructure that can inform the search for natural hydrogen.
NorthLight’s strategy is to evaluate that geological potential alongside the conditions that would support development. Access, resource characteristics, infrastructure and proximity to customers all influence whether a discovery can become a commercial project.
04 / THE COMMERCIAL REASONING
The value of a resource depends on where it can be used.
For a remote mine, energy costs include seasonal transport, storage capacity and substantial capital committed to fuel inventory. These obligations shape operating economics long before the fuel reaches a generator.
A viable local hydrogen resource could alter that cost structure. NorthLight’s commercial focus is on identifying where geological potential and established energy demand can support a credible path from exploration to supply.
For communities, the same supply constraints influence the cost and reliability of essential services. Local energy development would need to address those requirements alongside the priorities of the people it is intended to serve.
05 / NATURAL HYDROGEN
How hydrogen forms.
Two natural pathways. One subsurface resource.
Natural hydrogen is generated within the Earth through processes that include reactions between water and iron-bearing minerals, and the breakdown of water by radiation from naturally occurring elements in rock.
These mechanisms establish the geological basis for exploration. The work is to determine where hydrogen is generated, how it moves and whether it can be retained and recovered in commercially meaningful quantities.
Shield rockFracturesand faultsHydrogen
migration
02 / FORMATION MECHANISM
Radiolysis
Natural radiation breaks down water molecules in rocks and groundwater, releasing hydrogen.
Water + natural radiation
Water breakdown
H H
Molecular hydrogen H₂
01
02
03
07 / PEOPLE & EXPERTISE
Expertise across the development path.
Chaired by Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar, NorthLight’s advisory board brings together pioneering research on hydrogen in the Canadian Shield and direct experience evaluating the Bourakébougou hydrogen field in Mali. Its expertise extends through major mining operations, industrial hydrogen processing and remote field exploration.
Their role is to inform the decisions that connect geology with development: where to test, how to interpret the evidence, and what a resource must demonstrate to become a dependable local energy supply.
08 / FURTHER READING
The strategy in detail.
Explore NorthLight’s presentation and location strategy for the commercial rationale, geological targeting and development approach behind the company.
NORTHLIGHT POWERInvestor
NATURAL HYDROGEN
EXPLORATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Investor
Presentation.
NATURAL HYDROGENEXPLORATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
NORTHLIGHT POWERLocation
GEOLOGY. INFRASTRUCTURE.
A REASON TO EXPLORE.
Location
Strategy.
GEOLOGY. INFRASTRUCTURE.A REASON TO EXPLORE.