As the world confronts the urgent need for a transition to cleaner energy, one challenge stands out above the rest: how to reduce emissions from the vast network of existing fossil fuel assets. The process of decarbonisation must go beyond replacing fossil fuels with renewables—it must also include innovative solutions that can unlock the potential of current energy infrastructure. Upstream Hydrogen™, a cutting-edge concept developed by Convert Well, is a prime example of such a solution.
At the heart of Upstream Hydrogen™ is Belinda Perriman, co-founder of Convert Well. Her journey to developing this game-changing technology has been shaped by years of experience in the energy sector, particularly her time at Shell, where she led key projects focused on carbon capture and storage (CCS). Her deep understanding of both traditional fossil fuel operations and the emerging clean energy landscape has led her to a simple but transformative conclusion: the future of energy production must integrate the decarbonisation of existing assets with sustainable practices.
“We need more people working on decarbonising the 80%—the $40 trillion worth of existing fossil fuel assets,” Belinda states. This powerful insight reflects a key truth: while renewables are essential for the long-term energy transition, the world still relies heavily on fossil fuels—and natural gas in particular. For Belinda, the focus isn’t just on the future, but on leveraging existing energy infrastructure to meet current environmental goals.
Her work with Upstream Hydrogen™ offers a bridge between the fossil fuel past and the clean energy future by co-locating hydrogen production with carbon capture at natural gas fields. Upstream Hydrogen™ allows gas companies to produce low-carbon hydrogen on-site, capturing the CO2 in the process and storing it safely underground—right where the gas was extracted. This unique, modular approach offers a more sustainable, cost-effective, and scalable way to produce hydrogen, reducing emissions and creating economic value by enhancing the life of gas fields.
“I had an epiphany moment while working on a project for Shell in 2012,” Belinda recalls. “I was part of a team reviewing the collection and storage of CO2 emissions from a massive manufacturing plant. That’s when it hit me—society could have the reliability of natural gas without the CO2 emissions.” This realisation sparked her passion for carbon capture and set her on a path that would eventually lead to Upstream Hydrogen™.
As she led projects such as the UK Peterhead CCS project, Belinda saw firsthand how the energy industry was beginning to recognise the importance of addressing CO2 emissions from manufacturing processes. But, as she explains, that recognition must go beyond isolated CCS projects. “We need to go “upstream”, to the source of the problem so to speak, the oil and gas fields; decarbonise the fossil fuel infrastructure that is already in place,” she asserts. “If we can produce a clean fuel from existing oil and gas field assets, we make huge strides toward meeting global climate goals.”
How did your perspectives on energy transition and decarbonisation evolve during your time at Shell, and how does this inform your vision for Convert Well’s role in the hydrogen economy?
“I had something of an epiphany moment in 2012 while working at Shell’s regional office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). I was part of a regional review team of a project to collect and store CO2 emissions from a massive manufacturing plant that was of enormous value to the country but created considerable CO2 emissions during the manufacturing process. I realised then that society could, in theory, have the reliability and flexibility of using or burning natural gas in order to manufacture useful products while avoiding the CO2 emissions associated with its use or burning.
I applied and got a job leading the UK Peterhead CCS project (CCS on gas power) and have worked very hard since 2012 in the area of capturing the CO2 emissions from using or burning natural gas—a major source of global energy. Since COP28, we have an ambitious target to triple the provision of renewable energy by 2030. At the same time, I believe that we need more people working on decarbonising the 80%—the $40 trillion of existing fossil fuel assets. It is not realistic to think that countries are going to walk away from all that value.”
How do you see Convert Well navigating the organisational and cultural challenges within oil and gas companies to encourage adoption of Upstream Hydrogen™?
“As two of us come from working in many countries in large oil and gas companies, we are very much at home speaking with these firms. I was also involved in mezzanine financing of smaller oil and gas companies, so I have some familiarity with their slightly different way of working. We speak the same language, and the oil and gas companies do understand how combining low-carbon hydrogen production with gas production brings benefits. They also understand that injecting the CO2 produced in the operations and as a by-product of hydrogen manufacture can help maintain reservoir pressure and enhance gas recovery to enable more hydrogen production. The question is whether it fits in their strategy.
The circular nature of the idea resonates with a lot of people that we speak with. We can screen their gas fields today for their suitability and the economics of conversion to hydrogen production. We’re eager to talk to any oil and gas company with producing gas assets that is serious about their journey to Net Zero and to explore whether Upstream Hydrogen can be a useful addition to cost effectively speed up that journey.”
How do you ensure the technical compatibility and seamless integration of these modular units with existing gas field infrastructure? What challenges have you encountered?
“The modular hydrogen production units take fully processed gas. They are positioned at the back end of the gas processing equipment, so they don’t interfere with the normal gas processing flow. In the usual process of producing blue hydrogen from natural gas, gas travels through a pipeline, and the CO2 produced is sent through another pipeline to remote CO2 storage. The co-location of the entire circular process is more efficient, providing opportunities for synergies in energy use.
While every component in the circular process has been implemented before, the co-location of these technologies at gas fields is new. So, we will need to monitor how this works in practice and iron out any potential issues.”
How does Upstream Hydrogen™ compare in cost to blue hydrogen, and what factors contribute most significantly to the cost advantages of Upstream Hydrogen™?
“Blue hydrogen, which uses CCS to avoid CO2 emissions in its production, sees CCS as a 100% cost burden compared to grey hydrogen, where CO2 is simply emitted into the atmosphere. Upstream Hydrogen™, by contrast, does something useful with the CO2 before permanent storage at the end of the gas field’s productive life. This allows for significant cost savings compared to the usual “post-combustion” blue hydrogen process, of the order of 30-50%. Amongst the useful things that CO2 does, it:
Helps to maintain reservoir pressure, making the gas wells more productive (higher gas rates per day) for longer.
Delays the costs of abandoning the gas field.
Enhances the recovery of gas from the reservoir, increasing recovery efficiency, but only to produce more hydrogen. This creates a ‘reformed life’ for these fields.”
How do you measure and verify the full environmental impact of transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen production, and how does Upstream Hydrogen™ help address fugitive methane emissions from gas fields?
“The emissions reduction from transitioning from selling natural gas—which has known greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when burnt—to a zero-carbon fuel is precisely known, based on the composition of the natural gas. Having modular carbon capture units at the upstream gas processing site means that, as well as capturing CO2 from the manufacture and by-product of hydrogen production, CO2 can also be collected from the energy used for gas processing.
Thus, Upstream Hydrogen™ is lower carbon than normal blue hydrogen. Regarding fugitive methane emissions, one of our consortium partners, LivNSense, works to reduce these emissions from the gas processing site. This provides more feedstock for the adjacent hydrogen production unit.”
Can you elaborate on the technical considerations and risks involved in CO2 injection, particularly in more complex reservoirs? How do you ensure the long-term integrity and safety of CO2 storage in gas fields?
“We recommend starting with conventional sandstone reservoirs rather than low-permeability unconventional reservoirs or carbonate reservoirs with a fracture system that could provide a pathway for CO2 to reach the gas wells. The CO2 injection wells would be perforated towards the base of the producing gas reservoir, near the gas-water contact. Gravity, viscosity, and miscibility all work in favour of keeping the injected CO2 low in the reservoir, forming a ‘piston’ that displaces the natural gas and provides high recovery of gas from the reservoir.
The integrity and safety of CO2 storage are crucial, and reservoirs that have already stored natural gas for millions of years are proven to be good candidates for CO2 storage as well. The larger CO2 molecule will stay contained in these fields for millions of years, just as the natural gas has.”
What are the key partnerships you need to facilitate the scaling of Upstream Hydrogen™ projects, and where do you see its future demand in 10 years?
“We are building a consortium of companies to implement Upstream Hydrogen™, should customers in the oil and gas sector desire a “one-stop shop” solution. Scaling is straightforward: it involves the conversion of one gas field, or one gas processing site, at a time. The modular equipment can be right sized for each gas field and even moved between fields.
In 10 years, we see growing demand for Upstream Hydrogen™ from countries with established hydrogen strategies—over 30 countries already have them—and significant gas resources. Some countries in the MENA region, especially in the Gulf, are extremely well-positioned for Upstream Hydrogen™ production.”
As the global energy transition continues to unfold, Upstream Hydrogen™ presents a clear, viable pathway for scaling up hydrogen production while mitigating the environmental impact of natural gas extraction. By integrating hydrogen production directly with carbon capture and CO2 storage at gas fields, this approach not only reduces emissions but also extends the productive life of gas fields, creating a win-win scenario for both the energy industry and the environment.
Belinda Perriman’s insights reinforce the idea that Upstream Hydrogen™ is not just a niche technology, but a key enabler of the future hydrogen economy. As she explains, “The modular nature of Upstream Hydrogen™ allows it to be scaled up gradually—one gas field at a time—and its ability to address challenges like fugitive methane emissions and gas flaring makes it a highly practical solution for today’s energy producers.”
In the next decade, demand for low-carbon hydrogen is expected to grow exponentially, with more than 30 countries already developing national hydrogen strategies. Countries with substantial natural gas reserves will be uniquely positioned to harness Upstream Hydrogen™, creating a sustainable and economically viable path toward decarbonisation. And solutions that do not require government subsidies are expected to be of particular interest. Belinda sees a bright future for this technology, especially as it offers existing gas operators a way to future-proof their assets and support global climate goals.
Ultimately, the question is no longer whether Upstream Hydrogen™ can play a major role in the energy transition, but how quickly the industry can embrace it. By offering a cost-effective, environmentally responsible, and scalable solution to the hydrogen challenge, Upstream Hydrogen™ represents a transformative shift in the energy landscape, helping to decarbonise not just the power and transportation sectors but entire gas-producing regions.
As Belinda succinctly puts it: “The future of Upstream Hydrogen™ is not just about producing hydrogen—it’s about creating a circular, sustainable energy ecosystem where natural gas fields continue to contribute to a cleaner, more reliable energy future.”
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