AB,
Because I don`t indulge in hopeless causes.

You're a naughty man Alan
" I might even be overstating the cost component, at one lousy cent, for a couple of tons."
That's your guess .
And you want to fill the NBN pipes under cities with hydrogen , blowing out the cost of broadband as well as high-rise cladding that powers heating .

Because NNN, one unit of thorium, produces as much energy as one million units of hydrocarbon!

Thorium is the most energy dense material on the planet. 8 grams could power my house and car for the next 100 years, without refueling. For just one lousy dollar a year, as recovery costs!

Some years ago, BMW extracted some hydrogen from methane, using catalytic separation and at a cost per cubic metre of $6.00! And a very different process.

The process I refer to, is first make superheated steam, then pass it over a platinum catalyst. This causes complete and virtually automatic dissociation between the constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen. It's old science, minus the naked flame that caused a few accidents.

Given I'm using a walk away safe, molten salt thorium reactor and as a LFTR, to burn and reburn other folks nuclear waste. And be paid annual billions for supplying a service and eventual very safe storage as rockcrete, once I've harvested the considerable remaining energy from that waste!

To in effect, turn virtually free energy into copious hydrogen. I might even be overstating the cost component, at one lousy cent, for a couple of tons.

Incidentally, hydrogen can be bladder stored. then used on demand, in ceramic fuel cells to provide absolutely instant, on demand energy and endless free water! The exhaust product, pristine water vapor.

Suggest you type into your search engine, the case for thorium. Scroll down the page to a, peer reviewed, five star video called, top document.

And spend an hour listening to a number of highly credentialed, respected scientists, educating you on thorium. Which delivers everything fusion promised, but couldn't deliver!

Incidentally, one cubic metre of hydrogen gas has the same calorific value as one litre of petrol.

Energy piped as hydrogen needs nothing more than a pipeline to transfer the energy component, even a million miles, without significant loss.

And utilise the topography, a few high point expansion chambers and the fact it's lighter than air to lift/push it.
Alan B.