Early, targeted research essential if Canada wants to be major player in gas hydrates

Canada needs to invest now in R&D and exploration of gas hydrate deposits as it did in the early days of oils sands development if it wants to become a major player in a potential future energy source. A new report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) — Energy from Gas Hydrates: Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges for Canada — says reaping the fruits of Canada's early leadership in gas hydrate research will depend on whether the government commits to becoming an international leader in its development or leaves it to other countries to explore viable exploitation strategies.

The report is the CCA's third completed assessment and was produced by a 13-member panel chaired by Dr John Grace, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the Univ of British Columbia and a Canada Research Chair in clean energy processes. It was presented July 7th at an International Conference on Gas Hydrates in Vancouver with the full report slated for release in August.

Three research options are presented for consideration by the government and the assessment's client, Natural Resources Canada: research only, research and limited development and major targeted R&D. While it is beyond the mandate of the panel to recommend one particular approach, it's clear that the third option is preferable if Canada wants to become a major force in gas hydrate exploration, development and exploitation.

"Canada has areas where it is expert but in recent years we have not been involved in international efforts. There's a perception that we're falling behind," says Grace. "We need industry involvement from the outset including big energy companies. There's a parallel to the oil sands 30 years ago. Government and industry worked together and we need the same sort of effort."

Among fossil fuels, natural gas is by far the cleanest, making it an attractive alternative to coal and oil – both conventional and oil sands-derived. Locked in hydrate accumulations deep in the permafrost or under the seafloor, the energy potential of Canada's gas hydrate reserves could be massive but too little is known to make an accurate estimate. The panel concludes that depressurization is considered the most promising production technique when cost and environmental impact are factored in.

"We're not going to be past fossil fuels dependency in the very near future so one would like to have cleaner sources of fossil fuels until the time when the world doesn't use them for energy purposes," says CCA president Dr Peter Nicholson. "We're not there yet and maybe gas hydrates have a bridging role to play, but that's speculative."

"Industry must be effectively involved if significant progress is to be made. Government-industry partnerships could create the option to include gas hydrate in a diversified energy portfolio of the future." — CCA Gas Hydrate report

Options the report lists for Canada include:

* undertake geological, geophysical and geochemical studies to better delineate the extent, location, quality and potential recoverability of Canada's gas hydrate resources;

* participate more fully in international collaboration in gas hydrate research;

* undertake a wide range of basic and applied research to gain a better understanding of the environmental issues related to exploitation;

* support R&D in all aspects of gas hydrate extraction technology;

* encourage private sector to collect and report data on occurrence and location of gas hydrate in the course of commercial drilling;

* identify opportunities for developing new technologies thereby creating technology export opportunities;

* undertake one or two major demonstration projects; and,

* support education and training initiatives for developing personnel with relevant skills and expertise.

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