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Will methane hydrates ever become a commercially extracted energy source?

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Why It Is Open
NOAA estimates hydrate deposits hold roughly twice the carbon of all proven coal, oil and conventional gas reserves combined, but no country has moved past experimental test extraction. Whether stable, economic extraction is achievable at all is unresolved, not merely undocumented: disturbing a deposit risks a large methane release and submarine landslides, so the open question is as much about whether pursuing it is prudent as whether it is possible. 1
What Would Resolve This
A sustained, government- or industry-confirmed commercial production project, or an authoritative engineering assessment (USGS, IEA, or a national hydrate research program such as Japan's MH21) concluding commercial extraction is or is not achievable within a stated timeframe. 1
Discipline Needed
Petroleum and marine geology engineering 1
Question Kind
Mechanism 1
Question Status
Open 1
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Yes 1
Open Question

NOAA estimates hydrate deposits hold roughly twice the carbon of all proven coal, oil and conventional gas reserves combined, but no country has moved past experimental test extraction. Whether stable, economic extraction is achievable at all is unresolved, not merely undocumented: disturbing a deposit risks a large methane release and submarine landslides, so the open question is as much about whether pursuing it is prudent as whether it is possible.

What would resolve this A sustained, government- or industry-confirmed commercial production project, or an authoritative engineering assessment (USGS, IEA, or a national hydrate research program such as Japan's MH21) concluding commercial extraction is or is not achievable within a stated timeframe.
OpenPetroleum and marine geology engineeringNOAA Ocean Exploration
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1. NOAA Ocean Exploration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationOcean Facts, What are gas hydrates?View the Source
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