Seabed test for methane hydrate set

[xchrom]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20130112a1.html


Digging deep: The Chikyu begins deep-sea drilling for methane hydrate off Aichi Prefecture last February, in preparation for a world-first project to produce methane gas from such deposits. KYODO

NAGOYA — In the first experiment of its kind, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. will begin a test project Sunday aimed at producing methane gas from methane hydrate in the Pacific seabed off Aichi Prefecture.

The government-affiliated minerals explorer aims to launch commercial production as early as fiscal 2018, as Japan seeks to end its overdependency on overseas fuel shipments by developing a brand new energy source.

Methane hydrate, a sherbetlike substance consisting of methane gas trapped in ice below the seabed or permafrost, is viewed as a promising next-generation source of power. The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

[Speck Tater]

1. Oh Boy! More burried carbon we can pump into the atmosphere! nt

[wtmusic]

2. Silly me.

I thought it was a scientific test to determine the risk of clathrates contributing to global warming, when it was merely a test to see how it might be expedited.

[NickB79]

3. If we're seeing 9% leakage from land-based fracking

Who wants to hazard a guess how much methane we'll be leaking from hydrates? Maybe we'll get lucky and the outgassing will just sink the rig its first time out.