Japan - America cooperates in exploiting ice

Japan and the United States will cooperate in the field of burning ice with the goal of developing a new generation of fuel.

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The Japan National Oil, Gas and Metal Resources Authority and the US National Energy Technology Laboratory will sign a memorandum of understanding tomorrow, with contents related to research and production activities. Burning ice (methane hydrate).

The methane gas burns after being released from the burned fire.(Photo: Japan Times)

The two countries will conduct actual surveys and production in the permanent freezing area in northern Alaska. This is the place with the same conditions as in the deep sea floor. The goal of the project is to produce more than 20,000 cubic meters of gas per day, for a period of five years.

Production testing will be done on the ground, where mining operations are relatively easier. When low-cost mining methods are formed, they will be applied in offshore areas near Japan.

According to Nikkei, the cost of this project is estimated at over one billion yen per year (equivalent to $ 8.7 million), with the contribution of both parties.

Burning ice is made of compressed methane gas in ice below the sea floor or permanently frozen. This source of energy was originally thought to exist only outside the solar system. Scientists then discovered ice in the deep sea. With a reserves three times larger than the known fossil energy reserves, burning ice is now considered the future energy source of mankind.

In March 2013, Japan became the first country in the world to exploit natural gas from ice burnt at the bottom of the Pacific, off the central part of the country. In Japan, the budget for developing this fuel source is 10 billion yen per year.