Manufactured Subsurface Hydrogen | Inside GeoKiln’s Bet on the Induced-Thermal Pathway

The Enverus Innovation Underground series, hosted by Enverus Intelligence® Research (EIR) Analyst Graham Bain, features in-depth discussions with industry leaders pioneering the adoption of cleaner energy solutions, including CCUS, hydrogen, geothermal, direct lithium extraction and more. 

Natural hydrogen exploration promises low-cost production at $0.50–$1.00/kg, but repeatability is the problem. GeoKiln Energy Innovation is taking a different approach: instead of exploring for hydrogen that may or may not be there, they’re engineering it on demand. Their Manufactured Subsurface Hydrogen (MSSH™) process places downhole electric heaters inside iron-rich rock formations and drives serpentinization in situ, targeting $1.50/kg hydrogen at 15 kWh/kg — a cost structure the company believes can compete with electrolytic green hydrogen while sidestepping the variability of pure exploration. 

In this episode, Graham Bain is joined by Dr. Alexei Tcherniak, Founder and CEO of GeoKiln, and Dr. Lorna Ortiz, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer. Both bring over 20 years of energy industry experience, including senior roles at Shell spanning upstream, downstream, technology commercialization and strategic partnerships. They founded GeoKiln in 2024 to apply proven subsurface thermal technologies to the clean hydrogen challenge. 

Together, they explore how MSSH works at the formation level, why engineered hydrogen trades some cost advantage over natural exploration for meaningful repeatability, and what the oil and gas talent base brings to a process that looks a lot like subsurface operations. 

Topics Covered 

• The founders’ path from long careers at Shell to launching GeoKiln in 2024 

• How MSSH places downhole electric heaters in iron-rich rock to drive serpentinization in situ 

• The cost-versus-repeatability trade-off between $0.50–$1.00/kg natural hydrogen exploration and $1.50/kg engineered production 

• Why $1.50/kg at 15 kWh/kg positions MSSH competitively against electrolytic green hydrogen 

• The skills and infrastructure that transfer directly from a 30-year subsurface career 

• What it takes to move from technology concept to field demonstration in the hydrogen space