Japan starts test frozen gas production under seabedMarch 12, 2013 - 13:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Japan, which imports almost all its energy, produced gas in the world’s first tests to extract the fuel from methane hydrate deposits under the seabed, Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corp. said in an e-mailed statement, according to Bloomberg. Gas was produced during drilling today in the Nankai Trough about 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the coast of the country’s main Honshu island, the government-affiliate known as JOGMEC said. Deposits of methane hydrate, known as “burnable ice,” may be large enough to supply the country’s natural gas needs for about 100 years, according to JOGMEC. The government plans to develop technology to enable commercial use by fiscal 2018. “Methane hydrate may start a revolution in Japan as shale gas did in the U.S., but there are still a lot of challenges ahead,” said Yuji Morita, a senior researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. Eastern Nankai Trough deposits of methane hydrate, or natural gas locked in an ice-like cage of water molecules, may hold the equivalent of about 40 trillion cubic feet of methane, a primary element of natural gas, JOGMEC said in the statement. That’s equivalent to about eleven years of Japan’s LNG imports, it said. The vessel Chikyu drilled into the seabed off Atsumi Peninsula, central Japan, to extract the gas from methane hydrate deposits 300 meters below the ocean floor at a depth of about 1,000 meters, the trade and industry ministry said. In 2008, JOGMEC extracted gas from methane hydrate in permafrost in northern Canada. It was the world’s first continuous and stable gas production from methane hydrate sediments, according to the company. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |