Methane hydrates, also called gas hydrates, are ice-like crystalline structures in which methane molecules are trapped inside a lattice of water molecules, forming under the low temperature and moderate pressure found in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost, per NOAA Ocean Exploration. The scale is what makes them a prospective energy source rather than a curiosity: NOAA estimates hydrate deposits may contain roughly twice the carbon held in all the world's coal, oil and conventional natural gas reserves combined. No country has moved hydrate extraction to sustained commercial production; disturbing a deposit risks both a large methane release and submarine landslides.
Facts
Source Class First Commercial YearJapan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation conducted the worlds first offshore methane hydrate production test in the Eastern Nankai Trough in March 2013, extracting gas by depressurization over six days before sand production forced a halt. This was a field trial, not commercial production; no commercial-scale methane hydrate extraction has followed. FAQs
Why hasn't methane hydrate extraction become commercial?
Field trials have proven it works technically, but no sustained commercial operation exists yet.
Field trials in Japan (2013 and 2017), a joint US-Japan trial in Alaska, and a 2020 trial in the South China Sea have all proven gas CAN be produced from methane hydrate deposits, but every one of them has been a short technical demonstration, not a sustained commercial operation. The US Department of Energy's own account of its Alaska field trial calls the result "proof-of-concept" and compares the remaining path to commercialization to how long shale gas took to mature after its own 1970s-1980s research phase, meaning years to decades, with no committed date.
Connections
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Open Questions
Source United States Department of Energy Official Site
Source NOAA Ocean Exploration
Sources
1. NOAA Ocean Exploration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationOcean Facts, What are gas hydrates?Quote, Ocean Facts, What are gas hydrates?
[Hydrate deposits] may contain roughly twice the carbon contained in all reserves of coal, oil, and conventional natural gas combined, making them a potentially valuable energy resource.
2. MH21-S Research Consortium: Achievements of MH21
MH21-S Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources in Japan (JOGMEC)MH21-S Achievements page, first offshore production test summaryQuote, MH21-S Achievements page, first offshore production test summary
The first offshore production test conducted in 2013 in the Eastern Nankai Trough area was the world's first attempt to extract gas from marine methane hydrate deposits.
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationMethane clathrate, openingQuote, Methane clathrate, opening
Methane clathrate ... also called methane hydrate, hydromethane, methane ice, fire ice, natural gas hydrate, methane gas, or gas hydrate
Open Questions (2 open questions)
Will methane hydrates ever become a commercially extracted energy source?
NOAA estimates hydrate deposits hold roughly twice the carbon of all proven coal, oil and conventional gas reserves combined, but no country has moved past experimental test extraction. Whether stable, economic extraction is achievable at all is unresolved, not merely undocumented: disturbing a deposit risks a large methane release and submarine landslides, so the open question is as much about whether pursuing it is prudent as whether it is possible.
What would resolve this A sustained, government- or industry-confirmed commercial production project, or an authoritative engineering assessment (USGS, IEA, or a national hydrate research program such as Japan's MH21) concluding commercial extraction is or is not achievable within a stated timeframe.
Petroleum and marine geology engineeringNOAA Ocean Exploration
When, if ever, will methane hydrates become an economically viable commercial energy source?
Field trials in Japan (2013, 2017), a joint US-Japan trial in Alaska, and a South China Sea trial (2020) have all proven that gas CAN be produced from methane hydrate deposits, but none has run at commercial scale or duration. The US Department of Energy's own account of its Alaska field trial calls the result "proof-of-concept" and "just the beginning," explicitly comparing the remaining path to how long shale gas took to become commercial after its own 1970s-1980s research phase.
What would resolve this A named methane hydrate operation delivering gas to market on ordinary commercial terms over a sustained period (not a short field trial), or an authoritative body such as the USGS or a national energy department concluding commercial methane hydrate production is or is not achievable within a stated decade.
Petroleum and gas-hydrate engineeringUnited States Department of Energy Official Site
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