A step closer to transporting natural gas hydrates.(Chementator)(Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Company Ltd.'s partnership with Chugoku Electric Power Co. )(Brief article)

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. (MES; Tokyo, Japan; edlinks.che. com/6894-540), in cooperation with Chugoku Electric Power Co. (Hiroshima, Japan), is building a pilot plant that will produce 5-m.t./ d of natural gas hydrate (NGH). The plant, located at Chugoku Electric's Yanai Power Station (Yamagnchi, Japan), is a scaled-up version of MES's 600 kg/d pilot plant, which has been operating since 2003. As part of a $13-million project supported by New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (Kawasaki, Japan), the companies plan to demonstrate the feasibility of using NGH as an alternative to liquifacation for transporting natural gas. NGH produced in the new …