The CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography today said it has discovered "active cold seeps" in the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin which are associated with shallow methane hydrates.
The scientists on board NIO's exploration vessel 'Sindhu Sadhana' earlier this week discovered these seeps in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as part of a programme initiated in 1996, said CSIR Director Sunil Kumar Singh.
There are approximately 1,900 trillion cubic metres of methane gas hydrates in the Indian EEZ, Kumar said, adding that "if we can tap even ten per cent of it, we can take care of energy resource for the next hundred years for our country".
NIO, while announcing the discovery, said that methane hydrates are considered as alternative hydrocarbon energy reserve. PTI