Japan Cracks Methane Hydrate Gas Production, but Environmental Concerns Linger

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Move over shale gas, commercial production of methane hydrate gas could be on the way. Japanese researchers have extracted gas from methane hydrates on the sea bed using state-of-the-art technology. The state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) (Tokyo) is reporting that is has drilled through an ice-like formation of methane hydrate, containing gas molecules, on the sea bed at a depth of 300 meters.

The extraction of gas from the deposit off the Pacific coast off the Atsumi and Shima peninsulas presented challenges, as handling of the inflammable material demanded high safety levels.

JOGMEC reported that methane hydrates available within Japan's territorial waters might be able to supply the country's natural gas needs for a century. It added that the seabed areas under exploration contained large reserves of rare earth metals.

The flow test applying a depressurization method was used in the pioneering project, and JOGMEC said that it was analyzing the data while continuing with the flow test.

Over a period of 17 years of research and multi-million dollar investment, Japan has become the global leader in developing the technology for gas extraction from methane hydrate. Since 2001, it has been conducting two onshore production tests with Canada in the arctic Mackenzie Delta region, applying two different approaches.

The first used the injection of hot water through boreholes, and the second was the depressurization method to separate methane from the methane hydrate. The second method proved to be more efficient and has been applied in the offshore production test.

A further production test is planned in the second phase, and JOIGMEC anticipates commercial gas production by 2018.

Environmental concerns are still unresolved about the results of the process as extracting and burning the gases could release negative greenhouse gases; methane is 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2 .Its release form the ocean floor could be connected with steep warming gradients over historical time spans.

The U.S. geological survey says that the quantity of methane hydrates found worldwide is twice that of all other known fossil fuels. But the survey qualifies that fact by saying that the environmental impact is poorly understood.

With a mounting LNG bill and an uncertain nuclear power future, Japan is hoping that all the elements in the methane hydrates power-fuel potential can be shaken down into a positive outcome.

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