China discovered large hydrate reserves in the South China Sea

The Ministry of Land and Natural Resources has just announced that it has discovered a large amount of hydrate gas (burning ice) in the Pearl River basin north of the East Sea and will be able to exploit it on a commercial scale after 2030.

>>>Burning ice - a new energy revolution?

According to the announcement on the Ministry's website, the area of ​​hydrate gas detection in the Chau river sediment basin lasts 55km ² with estimated reserves equivalent to about 100-150 billion m3 of natural gas.

This is equivalent to China's largest natural gas field in Sichuan.

In addition, the results of the survey over the past four months of the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey also show that, in 23 southern wells off the coast of Guangdong, there are 2 layers containing hydrate of 15-30m thickness at depth from 600-1,000m on the seabed.

The amount of methane in these ice bars is thought to be twice as much as the amount of carbon found in fossil fuels on earth.

The report said: 'The discovery marks a breakthrough in resource investigation and demonstrates that the Pearl River sediment basin is rich in hydrate gas' and China has become the fourth country in the world to collect sample methane hydrate after America, Japan and India.

Currently, China still does not have the technology to commercially exploit this energy resource called 'ice flammable' but experts say that commercial scale development can start after 2030. .

China, the world's leading energy consumer, has officially started research on hydrate since 2002 and this research project is classified by the government as a national research project.

The ice is essentially hydrate, methane hydrate is covered in frozen crystals, buried in the ocean floor, under the permafrost. The amount of methane in these ice bars is thought to be twice as much as the amount of carbon found in fossil fuels on earth.

Burning ice is a new source of energy, which is of interest to many countries because of its huge reserves and its ability to influence global climate change. This new energy mineral is expected to be more than three times the total amount of fossil energy resources known worldwide. However, it is also considered a potential risk of environmental disasters. International organizations warn, this will happen in the future, if countries act irresponsibly when using outdated technology in the search, exploration, exploitation, preservation and use of burnt ice. .