Welcome to the information portal for the National Methane Hydrate R&D Program. Over the past eight years, research carried out under this program has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of methane hydrates, their role in nature, and their potential as a future energy resource. This success is largely due to an unprecedented level of cooperation between federal agencies, industry, national laboratories, and academic institutions. For a quick introduction to methane hydrate and its potential as a fuel source, please read the 2011 Methane Hydrates Primer. Information on other elements of the program can be found under the remaining Key Links. Read More.

Announcements

Expedition Provides New Insight on Gas Hydrates in Gulf of Mexico A joint-federal-agency 15-day research expedition in the northern Gulf of Mexico yielded innovative high-resolution seismic data and imagery that will help refine characterizations of large methane hydrate resources in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Read project summary

Methane Hydrates Funding Opportunity
The DOE Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory announces the release of the Methane Hydrates Funding Opportunity for research projects, with two application submission deadlines: July 10, 2013 and July 26, 2013. The funding opportunity addresses the following areas: (1) characterization of gas hydrate deposits, (2) response of gas hydrate reservoirs to induced change, and (3) response of methane hydrate systems to natural environmental change. Selected research projects will support program goals to determine the (1) likelihood of methane hydrates as a potential energy resource and (2) their role in the natural environment.

• To view the content / description of the Funding Opportunity Announcement please visit the FedConnect website (Reference Number DE-FOA-0000891).
• To view a Synopsis of the Funding Opportunity Announcement or to access the Forms and Instructions necessary for applying please visit the Grants.gov website.

Data from Innovative Methane Hydrate Test on Alaska's North Slope Now Available on NETL Website Data from an innovative test conducted last year that used carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) injection to release natural gas from methane hydrates at a well on the Alaska North Slope is now available to researchers and the public on the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) website.

Methane Hydrates Climate Change Research Overview
A desire to fully understand all the implications of natural gas hydrates has driven the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory to work with other federal agencies and academia to investigate gas hydrate’s role in the global carbon cycle, how Earth’s vast stores of gas hydrate might respond to a warming climate, and what impacts large-scale gas hydrate dissociation could have on the world’s environment. An overview of this research was recently published in ECO (Environment Coastal & Offshore) Magazine. Subscribe to ECO Magazine.

Methane Hydrate Primer Now Available
This document provides a simple, but comprehensive, explanation of what methane hydrate is, where it is found, its potential as a fuel source, and the current state of methane hydrate research activities.

Continued from top of page The National Methane Hydrate R&D Program, enabled by the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 and the subsequent 2005 amendment to this Act [PDF], is managed by DOE through the Office of Fossil Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and the program’s design is formulated through discussions among the six participating federal agencies and in consultation with advisory panels from industry and academia. The brochure, “Interagency Coordination on Methane Hydrates R&D” [PDF] , describes this unique federally funded, collaborative program that is designed to optimize hydrates research, avoid duplication and ensure that no important questions are left unanswered. A second document, an “Interagency Roadmap for Methane Hydrate R&D” [PDF] outlines the goals and objectives of the Program. In addition to the work being carried out by individual researchers, the Program supports this website, the quarterly Fire in the Ice (FITI) newsletter (which highlights ongoing activities for more than 1000 readers worldwide), and a wide array of meetings and workshops that facilitate the broad and timely dissemination of hydrate research progress to the larger research community and the Nation.