IIT Madras research could fuel the natural gas industry in India

NEW DELHI, JUNE 18: A research team at IIT Madras are studying techniques for extracting methane from ice-like structures beneath the ocean called ‘gas hydrates’. If successful the results could boost the natural gas industry in India and propel it toward self-sufficiency.

The gas hydrates are particularly promising natural gas sources because nearly 1,900 trillion cubic meters of methane gas lie untapped in these structures within the waters of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone, according to an IIT Madras report. This is 1,500 times more than the country's present gas reserve.

The energy content of methane in hydrate form is expected to exceed that of fossil fuels, thus becoming a viable source for energy production. “Controlled extraction of methane from gas hydrates can not only meet the enormous demand for energy all over the world but can also reduce the detrimental geological release of greenhouse gas into the environment from these sources”, said Prof. Dr Jitendra Sangwai who heads the research team.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, has reported having large amounts of gas hydrates in the Krishna-Godavari basin and Andaman Basin. With such abundant sources in the country, the research can enable the indigenous supply of natural gas and potentially lighten the nation’s natural gas import burden.

Dr.Sangwai, Professor of Petroleum Engineering, heads the team which also includes research Scholars Pawan Gupta and Vishnu C. IIT Madras and Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India are providing funds for the research.