Russia joins global efforts in gas hydrate research with new platform

Russian scientists are launching the country's first coordination platform dedicated to the study of gas hydrates. This initiative involves establishing a Russian Gas Hydrate Community and holding an inaugural national conference on gas hydrates, set to take place at Lake Baikal from 26 to 31 August.

Gas hydrates are crystalline, ice-like structures made of water and natural gas. While these hydrates hold significant potential as an energy source, they also present challenges in conventional fossil fuel extraction and pose climate risks due to the possibility of substantial methane emissions as global temperatures rise.

Currently, about 40 scientific organisations in Russia are engaged in gas hydrate research, but their efforts have been largely disjointed. The primary aim of the new community and conference is to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge, coordinate research activities, and develop proposals for a future state programme on gas hydrates, which Russia currently lacks.

The inaugural conference will feature 100 presentations from 80 scientists representing 45 organisations, including participants from India. Additionally, research vessels will be collecting gas hydrate samples from Lake Baikal, where gas hydrates were first detected in the early 2000s.

VNIIOkeangeologia (The All-Russia Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean) plans to hold these conferences every two to three years, aiming to enhance international cooperation and strengthen ties between Russian institutions and their overseas counterparts.

Source: TASS