India discovers natural gas hydrates in KG Basin: US Geological Survey

NEW DELHI: India has discovered a potentially producible large accumulation of natural gas hydrate in the KG Basin off the east coast, the US Geological Survey ( USGS), which was involved in the research expedition with Indian and Japanese scientists, has said in a statement.

Natural gas hydrates are ice-like combinations of natural gas and water found in oceans and polar regions. These are possible to produce but face significant technical challenges. The discovery in the KG Basin in the Bay of Bengal is the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean that has the potential to be producible, the US agency said.

"Advances like Bay of Bengal discovery will help unlock the global energy resource potential of gas hydrates and help define the tech needed to safely produce them," said Walter Guidroz, energy resources programme coordinator at USGS.

The next steps will involve production testing in these reservoirs to determine if natural gas can be produced economically.