The Department of Energy (DOE) says that it will fund the bulk of the costs for six new projects to study the exploration and production potential of methane hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s North Slope region. The total cost of the projects, which will be performed by the energy industry, universities and outside research institutions, has been valued at almost $48 million.

Experts estimate that if only 1% of the resource potential of methane hydrates — which are formed when natural gas and water are mixed and frozen into ice crystals — is tapped, the nation’s gas supplies could be more than doubled, according to DOE’s Strategic Center for Natural Gas. But they also pose certain safety concerns as producers look for oil and gas in deeper offshore waters where hydrates are likely to be more present.

DOE said it selected the six projects “to determine whether hydrates are tomorrow’s new gas frontier or a dangerous foe for future drillers.” They include:

In a 1995 study, the USGS calculated that the hydrate resources in the United States could be as much as 320,000 Tcf, according to the DOE. In comparison, it’s estimated that the U.S. has about 167 Tcf of proven reserves, and approximately 1,400 Tcf of total gas resources in formations other than methane hydrates, the department said.

The department revived its study of methane hydrates in 1997-1998 “as exploration and drilling technology advances and the need for greater long-term gas supplies became apparent,” the DOE noted. “Over the next two decades, as U.S. demand for clean-burning natural gas is projected to increase by more than 50%, producers will look for gas prospects in deeper offshore waters. These operations [will] require drilling through areas likely to contain hydrates. Hydrates are also believed to overlie conventional offshore oil deposits,” it said.

“Drilling and producing hydrates, however, are likely to pose enormous challenges. As hydrates dissociate into water or ice and methane, instabilities can be created within the seafloor or the wellbore. Therefore, technologies to locate and either avoid or deal with potential problem areas will be especially important.”

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