A research vessel carrying German and Taiwanese scientists set sail for waters off the island's southwestern coast on Sunday in search of methane hydrate, a potentially vast new energy source.
A research vessel carrying German and Taiwanese scientists set sail for
waters off the island's southwestern coast on Sunday in search of methane
hydrate, a potentially vast new energy source.
The substance, a fossil fuel that consists of very densely-packed methane
trapped in ice, is found beneath the sea floor on continental shelves and in
the
Arctic
's permafrost.
Earlier this month,
Japan
announced it had successfully extracted the hydrate, known as "fire
ice," from its seabed, a move it called a world first and a major
breakthrough for the energy-starved nation.
The 4,700 metric ton German ship called the Sonne will undertake a 50-day
expedition at a cost of around $3.98 million, three-quarters of which will be
funded by
Germany
and
the remainder by
Taiwan
.
"This will be the first time we may be able to physically explore for the
substance," Wayne Wang of
Taiwan
's
National Science Council told AFP. Past studies have indicated reserves in the
area could supply the island for up to 50 years.
Nuclear energy currently accounts for around 20 percent of the island's energy
mix but has become increasingly controversial in recent years following
Japan
's
atomic crisis.
Taiwan
is
heavily dependent on costly oil imports mainly from the
Middle
East
and
Africa
.
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