Japan plans to test deep sea methane hydrates or alternative natural gas

According to the Japanese NHK TV station, on February 2nd, the Japanese government plans to start seabed mining trials in the coastal area of ​​Aichi Prefecture starting this month because there are a large number of methane hydrates that are expected to be the new energy of the future in Japan. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan held an explanation meeting on this project in Nagoya City on the 2nd.

According to reports, methane hydrates look like ice cubes. Their main components are methane and water. They are usually found underground and under the sea. If they can be excavated, they can be used as natural gas. The study confirms that this highly anticipated future energy source is stored in the submarine strata of Japan's Tokai region and Wakayama Prefecture.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan organized an explanation meeting on the mining experiment of methane hydrate in Nagoya City on the 2nd. It is reported that the mining team will drill at a depth of 1,000 meters deep about 70 kilometers from the Amitabha Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture from the middle of this month, and strive to remove methane hydrate from the seabed in January 2013 and acquire methane gas at sea. The relevant parties hope that this experiment will test whether long-term and stable mining can be achieved.

It has been speculated that a large amount of methane hydrate is stored in the seabed under this test, and it is available to Japan for about 14 years based on Japan's annual gas consumption. If the mining work progresses smoothly, it will help Japan achieve a stable supply of energy. But on the other hand, the high cost of exploitation is also an important issue facing us at the moment.