China has the world's largest reserves of combustible ice, claiming to be able to burn it for a thousand years. Why has large-scale extraction not yet been achieved?

During this period of booming clean energy development, a new type of fossil fuel has also entered the public eye—flammable ice.

This substance claims to be safer and more reliable than oil and natural gas, and China’s reserves are currently the largest in the world. So why isn’t it being mined on a large scale?

As many news followers know, its reserves are 2 to 10 times that of global natural gas, and it was even once touted as capable of burning for a thousand years, though that’s an exaggeration.

But it’s also clear that nowadays, mentions of flammable ice are rare. It only occasionally appears in tech news—could there be some hidden message behind that?

Flammable ice is actually a white substance resembling ice cubes, and because it’s flammable, it’s called “flammable ice.”

And unlike oil, it’s pure natural gas hydrate with high utilization value—1 cubic meter of flammable ice can release 164 cubic meters of natural gas.

When flammable ice was first discovered, countries around the world began exploring it. China, in particular, is favored by heaven—it has the largest known reserves, about 80 billion tons of oil equivalent.

Although called a new energy source, flammable ice is actually a type of fossil fuel. Studies show that it not only has better utilization efficiency than traditional fossil fuels but is also easier to store and transport.

Its advantages include high efficiency, but most notably, it produces less carbon dioxide when burned—making it the least polluting fossil fuel known today.

According to estimates, China’s reserves could supply energy needs for at least the next thousand years.

As early as 2010, flammable ice was regarded as a key scientific research project by many countries. Media outlets also hyped it online, believing that an era of flammable ice was imminent and that traditional energy sources would gradually be replaced.

In 2013, Japan became the first country to extract flammable ice from the seabed, and in 2017, China successfully obtained flammable ice in the South China Sea. Since then, news about flammable ice extraction has continued to surface.

But here’s the strange part: after more than a decade, even if there’s no technology to fully replace traditional fossil fuels, news reports should still be ongoing. Why is it now so hard to hear about flammable ice?

The main reason is the difficulty of extraction—it’s not just “difficult,” it’s “extreme.”

Flammable ice only exists in deep-sea sediments and permafrost, and generally, not all deep-sea areas have it. It requires high pressure and low temperature to form, so only certain specific locations worldwide have it.

These extreme formation conditions guarantee that its extraction is extremely challenging—first, overcoming high pressure and low temperature. Currently, human technology can handle small-scale extraction.

But for large-scale extraction, unfortunately, we don’t yet have the technology.

Moreover, flammable ice is solid, which further complicates extraction. Oil and natural gas can be transported via pipelines, but flammable ice must be mined like coal or converted into gas before pipeline transport.

Its stubbornness isn’t just that—due to its high density, there’s a risk of explosion during extraction. Working in the deep sea, if an explosion occurs, workers have no chance to escape.

Additionally, operations must consider various deep-sea conditions. Human exploration of land is already challenging, but the deep ocean remains a mysterious area—no one can guarantee what accidents might happen.

On land, there are enough measures to prevent accidents, but in the deep sea, it might be impossible.

In short, flammable ice is useful, but mining it is too difficult—and it’s also highly unstable, with the risk of sudden explosions during extraction.

Currently, countries worldwide are only conducting small-scale research and exploration; no one has attempted large-scale harvesting.

While flammable ice is a promising resource, many have found other energy sources more attractive—mainly because the risks of flammable ice are too great.

First, environmental risks are a major concern. The famous “Hell’s Gate” is a classic example: the Soviets once searched for oil in the desert but found none, instead causing ground collapses that formed a large crater. To prevent methane leaks, they had to ignite the crater.

Initially, it was expected to burn for only a few weeks, but it burned for over fifty years—hence the name “Hell’s Gate.”

The seabed situation is even more complex. Studies show that methane leaks from the seabed could alter oxygen levels in seawater and potentially cause mass extinction of marine life.

With current technology still immature, no one dares to take such risks in extraction.

Furthermore, research on flammable ice is still incomplete. Even if it’s mined, how to bring it to market remains a problem.

The cost of extracting flammable ice is much higher than researching it, and given the risks, why not focus on other energy sources? Solar and electric power, for example, have almost no extraction risks, are cheaper, and have high market efficiency.

If the cost of extracting flammable ice is too high, it will inevitably be expensive, and who would want to use it? Even if it’s more environmentally friendly, cost-effectiveness is what consumers care about most.

Over time, the pace of flammable ice extraction has slowed. Today, it’s mostly seen only in scientific labs, and few places are interested in purchasing it.

Conclusion

There are two main views on flammable ice: one believes that large-scale extraction could bring enormous economic benefits, and the other argues that it’s better to develop known renewable energy sources rather than waste effort on extraction.

Both perspectives are valid, but the emergence of flammable ice indeed offers humanity a new energy option for the future.

Regardless of which view is correct, what kind of impact flammable ice will have on humanity is something everyone is looking forward to.