The total reserve of fuel ice (natural gas hydrate) on the northern continental slope of the South China Sea has finally been verified. It reaches an equivalent of 18.5 billion tons of oil, which equals six times the verified geological reserve of oil and gas in the deep waters of the South China Sea, said an official recently.
Yang Shengxiong, chief engineer of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, said this at a recent academic seminar on "Marine Geology, Mineral Resources and Environment".
"Fuel ice, also known as natural gas hydrate, will be the world’s largest alternative energy source in the future," Wu Jiandong, energy strategist and advisor to China Reform magazine said in an interview with Shanghai Securities News.
It is widely accepted that fuel ice is the energy which will replace coal and crude oil in the 21st century. It is not a renewable energy, but it is a highly-condensed solid, and one cubic meter of fuel ice is equivalent to 164 cubic meters of ordinary natural gas.
According to Wu's projection, in the coming seven to eight years, the level of commercial application of natural gas hydrate will increase and could possibly replace existing energy sources like coal and crude oil.
Fuel ice and natural gas are normally found in two types of area, one being plateau tundra’s such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the other being deep seas such as the South China Sea and East China Sea.
By People's Daily Online
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article