Quebec Innovative Materials Corp. announced the commencement of its hydrogen exploration program on the Ville Marie hydrogen property, undertaken in partnership with the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS). The Ville Marie hydrogen property marks a significant milestone in QIMC's commitment to advancing sustainable clean energy solutions.

This collaborative effort with INRS leverages their combined expertise to explore and develop hydrogen resources in the region. The hydrogen soil-gas sampling program will be overseen by a team of experts from INRS. The program aims to systematically analyze soil-gas samples from QIM's Ville Marie property to assess the presence of hydrogen and helium diffusive or advective seepages.

In parallel with this geochemical work, new geophysical surveys will be initiated to provide the geophysical data and imagery necessary to locate deep structures in the Precambrian basement. These are important in order to evaluate the dynamics of gas transfer to traps probably located within the sedimentary rock cover. INRS, renowned for its expertise in scientific research and environmental studies, brings valuable insights and technical capabilities to the hydrogen soil samples program.

Their involvement will ensure rigorous testing and analysis of soil samples and geophysical data collected from QIM'Cs Ville Marie property located in the Timiskaming graben and more specifically in areas showing the presence of kimberlites and crustal faults considered, by INRS researchers (Séjourné et al., 2024; https://inrs.ca/en/news/natural-hydrogen-first-reports-are-released-on-the-potential-of- this-emerging-resource/), to be suitable targets for the search for hydrogen.