Eclipse Energy and Wood partner to convert old oil fields into cost-effective, sustainable hydrogen production assets globally.
Eclipse Energy and Wood have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together on expanding hydrogen production through the reuse of end-of-life oil fields. As global demand for affordable and scalable hydrogen continues to rise, this partnership represents an important step toward making hydrogen production more practical and commercially viable. Their collaboration focuses on subsurface hydrogen production, a method that transforms depleted oil reservoirs into productive hydrogen-generating assets instead of abandoning them after oil extraction ends.
This partnership combines the strengths of both organizations. Wood brings extensive global experience in engineering, consulting, and decarbonization strategies, while Eclipse Energy contributes its advanced subsurface hydrogen technology. By joining forces, the companies aim to support hydrogen projects from the initial planning and development stages all the way to full commercial execution. This cooperation is especially timely, as Eclipse is now moving beyond the technology validation phase and entering commercial-scale deployment, with several projects already advancing this year.
Eclipse Energy’s innovative approach relies on utilizing existing oilfield infrastructure rather than building entirely new hydrogen facilities from scratch. Traditional greenfield hydrogen projects often involve significant capital investment, making clean hydrogen expensive and difficult to scale quickly. In contrast, Eclipse’s model reduces costs by repurposing mature oil fields and using already available infrastructure. This creates a more economical and sustainable solution while reducing waste associated with abandoned oil assets.
The concept also challenges the common belief that clean hydrogen must always be expensive. By converting old oil fields into hydrogen-producing systems, Eclipse demonstrates that clean energy solutions can also be financially practical. In addition, this method opens new business opportunities for partners involved in geoscience, microbiology, and engineering services. Instead of viewing old oil reservoirs as exhausted resources, they are treated as valuable assets for the future energy transition.
Prabhdeep Singh Sekhon, CEO of Eclipse Energy, emphasized that hydrogen expansion requires not only technological innovation but also practical and realistic solutions. He explained that the subsurface should not be seen merely as part of the old energy system, but as an important resource for the future of clean energy. According to him, transforming end-of-life oil fields into hydrogen-producing assets offers a pathway that is both economically efficient and operationally realistic. He also stated that partnering with Wood strengthens Eclipse’s ability to move projects forward faster and at the scale required by global markets.
Under this partnership, Eclipse will remain responsible for technology development and commercial project origination. It will also continue working closely with its oil field services partner, Weatherford, for operational execution. At the same time, Wood will contribute engineering design services, downstream technical expertise, and advisory support. This includes important areas such as decarbonization strategy, lifecycle assessment (LCA), and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) analysis, which are essential for measuring project sustainability and economic performance.
Dan Carter, President of Consulting at Wood, highlighted the significance of this collaboration by stating that subsurface hydrogen has the potential to transform mature oil fields into valuable long-term assets. He noted that the technology can help extend the productive life of aging oil infrastructure while providing a scalable source of lower-carbon hydrogen. He also expressed confidence that Wood’s engineering and consulting expertise would help accelerate the global deployment of this solution.
The partnership between Eclipse and Wood also creates strong opportunities for international expansion. Both companies already have active projects underway in different markets and are working toward publishing results related to hydrogen cost efficiency and carbon intensity within the first half of the year. These findings are expected to provide important evidence supporting the commercial and environmental benefits of subsurface hydrogen production on a global scale.
