Koloma’s Next Move: Partnering for Hydrogen’s Future
Koloma has quickly emerged as a leader in the race to unlock geologic hydrogen, raising over $400 million in funding to date. With early exploration success in Kansas and expansion into Minnesota’s Duluth Complex, the company has positioned itself at the forefront of what could become a multi-trillion-dollar clean energy industry.
But the challenges are clear: high well costs, uncertain reserve confirmation, lack of infrastructure, and early-stage extraction methods. To move from promise to proof, Koloma needs more than capital — it needs strategic partnerships that de-risk exploration and accelerate commercialization.
Recent developments present an opportunity too compelling to ignore.
QIMC and DiagnaMed Enter the Picture
In 2025, Quebec Innovative Materials Corp. (QIMC) and its partner DiagnaMed (DMED) began advancing a novel hydrogen extraction technology while aggressively staking claims across Quebec, Ontario, and most recently, Minnesota’s Duluth Complex. Their Minnesota acquisition is particularly significant: a 1,600-acre land package directly adjacent to Koloma’s own claims.
This geographic proximity, combined with DiagnaMed’s extraction platform and QIMC’s regional expertise, creates a natural alignment. What Koloma lacks — tested extraction tech, additional soil-gas sampling capacity, and local claim diversification — QIMC and DiagnaMed are actively building.
Why Collaboration is the Logical Next Step
1. Accelerated Reserve Validation
Koloma’s biggest hurdle is proving commercial flow rates. Partnering with QIMC and DiagnaMed to run side-by-side pilot wells in the Duluth Complex would immediately test DiagnaMed’s extraction tech in Koloma’s geology. Success here would dramatically increase confidence with auditors and investors.
2. Shared Cost and Risk
Exploratory wells cost anywhere from $1–20 million. A joint pilot program would allow Koloma to share drilling, permitting, and monitoring costs — spreading financial risk while speeding up the learning curve.
3. Regional Infrastructure Synergies
With both companies now holding land in Minnesota, they could jointly plan infrastructure corridors (pipelines, compression facilities, roads). Shared infrastructure lowers unit costs and strengthens regulatory filings.
4. Technology Access and Licensing Options
DiagnaMed’s platform is designed to accelerate hydrogen extraction. By securing an early license or joint-development agreement, Koloma could leapfrog years of in-house R&D — while retaining the option to expand or regionalize use if results meet performance KPIs.
5. Investor and Offtaker Confidence
The optics of a multi-company consortium working together in Minnesota would be powerful. Investors want collaboration, not silos, in early-stage industries. A successful pilot with Koloma, QIMC, and DiagnaMed would send a strong market signal that geologic hydrogen is moving toward commercial scale.
The Most Logical Path Forward for Koloma
Initiate a Joint Pilot Well in Minnesota
Test DiagnaMed’s extraction technology directly on Koloma’s Duluth Complex acreage.
Define clear KPIs: sustained flow rate, purity levels, and cost thresholds.
Formalize Data-Sharing Across Claims
Exchange soil-gas, geophysical, and structural data between Koloma and QIMC/DiagnaMed.
Jointly calibrate exploration models for greater accuracy and faster site selection.
Structure an Option-Based Licensing Agreement
Secure rights to deploy DiagnaMed’s tech if pilot results are successful.
Build in milestone-based fees to manage costs and ensure alignment.
Co-Develop Regional Infrastructure Strategy
Pursue shared permitting for pipelines, compression, and transport in Minnesota.
Present a unified development plan to state regulators and potential offtakers.
Leverage Results for Investor Outreach
Announce a collaborative pilot and preliminary findings to demonstrate momentum.
Use success in Minnesota as a springboard for broader U.S. and Canadian expansion.
Bottom Line
Koloma has the funding, expertise, and early exploration wins to be a global leader in natural hydrogen. But to cross the chasm from exploration to commercialization, it must de-risk, validate, and scale more quickly than competitors.
With QIMC and DiagnaMed now operating next door in Minnesota — and already advancing extraction technology and soil-gas programs — the most logical path forward is clear: partner, pilot, and prove the model together.
Koloma doesn’t need to go it alone. By embracing collaboration, it can turn its early-stage promise into a commercially validated breakthrough — and cement its position at the forefront of the clean hydrogen revolution.
