Japan, U.S. to test methane hydrate extraction in Alaska

Japan and the United States will conduct a joint study to produce gas from methane hydrate, a next-generation energy resource, in permafrost in northern Alaska in the year starting April 2021, a Japanese government source said Wednesday.The study, to run for a year, comes as Japan aims to stably secure domestic energy sources, planning a project aimed to commercialize the use of methane hydrate extracted from the country's coastal waters by March 2028, the end of its 2027 fiscal year, the source said.Methane hydrate, an ice-like substance that consists of methane and water, is seen as a pot…READ FULL ARTICLE