S. Korea to start East Sea gas hydrate drilling in April

SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to drill for gas hydrates off the
country's eastern coast starting in April, the government said Tuesday.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the drilling will take place from April 1
through May 15 with 32 holes to be made in the East Sea bottom at a cost of US$37
million. This will mark the second time that the government has carried out
exploratory drilling since its first effort in November 2007.
The drilling is to take place in the Ulleung Basin, which lies south of Ulleung
and Dokdo islands and north of the Korea Strait, with Britain's Fugro Synergy
providing a drill ship for the operation.
Gas hydrates refer to a semisolid mixture of methane gas and water molecules that
are created through a combination of water pressure and cold temperatures found
in deep ocean bottoms.
Initial estimates made three years ago claimed up to 600 million tons of the
material may exist, which is enough to meet the country's natural gas demands for
up to 30 years.
If gas hydrates can be extracted safely, it could greatly improve South Korea's
self sufficiency in natural gas that it currently imports from Southeast Asia and
the Middle East.
The ministry said last week that it wants to commercially extract gas hydrates
from 2015.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)

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