Taiwan geologists have confirmed the existence of more than 500 billion cubic meters of gas hydrate off the southwest coast, enough to meet the island's gas needs for over 60 years. But commercial extraction is likely much more than a decade away as techniques to tap the gas are still being developed.
"For gas hydrate, every country in the world is still in the investigative stage and cannot yet produce it commercially. There are still many technical difficulties that must be overcome .... it will take more than 10 years" - Wang Yunshuen, section chief of the mineral resources section, at the Central Geological Survey.
