Japan May Start Extraction of Methane Hydrates

Japan may start this week tests to extract natural gas from undersea methane hydrate deposits off the coast between the central Japan prefectures of Aichi and Mie, Japan’s Jiji Press said in a news report. Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp., or JOGMEC, will carry out the test.

Deposits of methane hydrate deposits around the test area can cover about 11 years of domestic natural gas consumption, the news report said.

If the test is successful, JOGMEC plans to continue production for some two weeks at a daily rate of several thousand cubic meters to 10 times more, according to the sources.

After analyzing data from the test, the government aims to establish a technology for commercial use of methane hydrate as early as fiscal in 2018, the report said citing sources.