Resource potential of methane hydrate coming into focus

Over the past decade, the recognition of the potentially vast global occurrence of methane hydrate has raised a number of critical public interest questions. Chief among these is the potential for methane hydrate to serve as a significant new resource to help meet long-term energy demands. To address this and other questions, the Methane Hydrate R&D Act of 2000 was enacted—promoting unprecedented collaboration between six federal agencies and enabling 5 years of government–industry–academia R&D partnerships. This article will discuss significant developments that emerged during the period 2001–2005 that sharpened the focus of R&D into methane hydrate's resource potential, including (1) the improved ability to conduct laboratory studies using samples that more closely replicate in-situ conditions and natural processes; (2) the increased recognition and documentation of the complexity of natural hydrate systems; (3) the increasing ability to directly detect hydrates through remote sensing; (4) the emerging transition from reliance on in-place numbers to more relevant estimates of recoverability; (5) a focus on hydrates within porous and permeable strata, whether in arctic or marine settings, and (6) the emergence of the first validated and publicly-available reservoir simulators.