Methane Hydrate Program Assessed

The Department of Energy's research program on extracting methane from methane hydrates to augment U.S. energy supplies is going well, according to an assessment done by the National Research Council. Using this solid form of methane combined with water, which is found in permafrost areas and on offshore continental margins, poses huge challenges. And although the research is proceeding well, the NRC panel says, there are critical questions still to be answered. The report states that research should be expanded in designing production technology, predicting possible environmental and safety issues, and reducing the uncertainty of finding sizable methane hydrate deposits. In particular, the report recommends that DOE perform long-term field production tests in different locations and carefully monitor the behavior of methane deposits and the surrounding sediments before, during, and after production in case there are any environmental consequences.