Flammable ice – fresh power prospect for VN

VGP - Viet Nam is rich in fire ice reserve which is a promising new energy source when conventional fuel such as coal, gas and oil, is becoming exhausted.

November 22, 2013 9:56 AM GMT+7

Extraction of gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate – sometimes called “flammable ice” – Source: soundwaves.usgs.gov

The East Sea ranked fifth in Asia in fire ice reserve in which Viet Nam owns abundant resources.

The carbon found in gas hydrates worldwide totals at least twice the amount of carbon in all of the earth’s other fossil fuels. Fire ice is regarded as a new type of high productivity and clean energy and potential power for the future.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2007 held a scientific conference on methane hydrate.

The Government has also issued a series of decisions and programs to evaluate fire ice resources including the Prime Minister’s Decision 796, dated June 3, 2010 approving the “Program on basic research and investigation of methane hydrate potential in the waters and continental shelves of Viet Nam”.

Accordingly, following the 2007-15 period of technology approach and research, Viet Nam will enter the second phase (2015-20) to assess and explore methane hydrate in promising waters and continental shelves including Hoang Sa archipelagos (Paracel islands) and surrounding areas, Phu Khanh, Tu Chinh-Vung May and Truong Sa archipelagos (Spratly islands)./.

By Kim Loan