Japan seeks funding for GTL, methane hydrate research

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry asked the finance ministry to budget ¥16.6 billion (US$144.4 million) to support various development projects in the energy sector, including research on gas-to-liquid and methane hydrate technologies in fiscal 2008-2009 (April-March), METI officials said. Fiscal 2008-2009 will be the second year of METI’s financial support for a five-year pilot project on the research and development of new GTL technology. The funds will be provided through state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. The research seeks to create technology capable of producing 30,000-40,000 barrels per day (bpd) of naphtha, kerosene and gasoil from natural gas by 2010. The Nippon GTL Technology Research Association will start building a 500-bpd pilot plant in September in Niigata prefecture in northwestern Japan, near natural gas fields owned by Japan Petroleum Exploration, or Japex. (August 24, 2007)