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Promoting the Development of Methane Hydrates

Methane hydrates below deep ocean flow off the coast of Japan have the potential to supply the nation's natural gas needs for decades. JOGMEC is closely involved in the planning and investigation necessary to make this material available for practical use as a next-generation source of clean energy.

Methane Hydrates: A Next-Generation Resource

One of JOGMEC's corporate objectives is to overcome the constraints of limited resources. Our investigation of next-generation energy resources includes research on methane hydrates. Known as "burnable ice," methane hydrates available within Japan's territorial waters may well be able to supply the nation's natural gas needs for a century. JOGMEC also aggressively investigates and researches mineral resources deep in the ocean, where rare metals are abundant.

Methane hydrate is a crystalline solid like ice that stores gas molecules, usually methane. Each flammable gas molecule is surrounded by a cage of water molecules. Methane hydrate can be found and under in the permafrost of polar regions and in the sediments of deep-sea regions where the temperature is low and the pressure is great. Methane gas is used as municipal gas and fuel for vehicles and fuel cells, and is a cleaner fuel than oil and coal.

Deposits of methane hydrates have been reported in marine sediments in the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coast of central Japan, where the water depth is more than 500 meters. Some estimates indicate that the reserves of methane hydrate correspond to a 100-year supply of natural gas for Japan, making it an important potential source of energy. The Japan National Oil Corporation (JNOC) began research work on methane hydrates in 1995, and JOGMEC has overseen the project since the JNOC's restructuring. An international joint research team including Japan has obtained successful results in experimental production of methane gas by injecting hot water into a borehole in the Mackenzie Delta in the arctic region of Canada.

In accordance with Japan's Methane Hydrate Exploitation Program established by the Advisory Committee for National Methane Hydrates Exploitation Program under METI, JOGMEC promotes the evaluation of methane hydrate resources in the Nankai Trough and other regions. Plans for test production of gas from the methane hydrates in the Nankai Trough will depend on the results.


Projected distribution of methane hydrate in seas around Japan


Projected distribution of methane hydrate globally


The Methane Hydrate Development Process