WHY GAS HYDRATE?
A. Johnson Hydrate Energy International, Kenner, LA 70065 USA The consideration of gas hydrate as a resource must take place in the broader context of natural gas supply and demand. From one perspective, the pursuit of unconventional resources, including gas hydrate, is completely unnecessary. Worldwide the proven reserves of conventional gas are enormous in excess of 6,000 TCF and have doubled over the past 20 years. The current proven reserves represent 67 years of consumption. In addition, large new conventional discoveries are still being made. This leads to the question: Why Gas Hydrate? In locations with large reserves and few consumers, natural gas is virtually a worthless byproduct of petroleum operations. Throughout the twentieth century large volumes of gas were flared or vented for lack of a viable market. While this practice is decreasing due to environmental considerations, nearly 10 BCF of gas continues to be flared or vented worldwide each day. In contrast to the locatio
