In support of a Congressional mandate that critical military installations achieve 99.9% energy availability by 2030, the Department of the Air Force's Office of Energy Assurance awarded the Chimaera Fund a contract to assess whether geologic hydrogen could strengthen energy resilience at critical Air Force Bases. The availability and potential cost-effectiveness of geologic hydrogen could position it as a viable alternative or supplement to natural gas and diesel-fueled generation systems.
The initiative evaluates the techno-economic feasibility, regulatory pathways, and near-term deployment opportunities for geologic hydrogen exploration, production, storage, and use near Malmstrom AFB in Cascade County, Montana, and McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas — grounding publicly available techno-economic assessments in modern commercial hydrogen well data for the first time.
A Request for Information attracted nearly 30 responses from across the geologic hydrogen ecosystem. From that pool, the Chimaera Fund selected HyTerra, Helix Exploration PLC, and Prometheus Hydrogen as primary performers for a small-scale demonstration, drawing on wells, hydrogen storage and delivery infrastructure, drilling cost data, and subsurface measurements from active exploration programs within approximately 200 miles of the targeted bases.
Request for Information
An open RFI gathered technical, infrastructure, and regulatory input from exploration companies, national laboratories, university research groups, sensing and detection firms, and engineering consultancies. Responses closed March 6, 2026, and directly informed partner selection.
Techno-Economic Assessment
An eight-month research effort evaluating production capacity, costs, infrastructure, risks, and regulatory pathways — anchored in real-world well data, drilling cost data, and subsurface measurements from partner sites within ~200 miles of Malmstrom and McConnell AFBs.
RFIs & RFPs
Requests issued under this programAir Force Geologic Hydrogen Research and Demonstration RFI
Sought expressions of interest and perspectives from organizations with technical, operational, or regulatory experience relevant to geologic hydrogen exploration, production, storage, and use near Air Force Bases.
