Japan said Tuesday it had successfully extracted methane hydrate, known as fire ice, from its seabed, possibly unlocking many years worth of gas for the resource-starved country.日本周二宣告，早已顺利地从日本海底萃取出有甲烷水合物，又称“可燃冰”，此举有可能将给这个资源贫乏的国家打开可沿袭多年的燃气资源宝藏。In what they are claiming as a world first, a consortium is drilling for the hydrate, a fossil fuel that looks like ice but consists of very densely-packed methane surrounded by water molecules, one kilometre (3,300 feet) below sea level.一个铁矿联盟从海平面下1公里处（3300英尺）钻井出有这种甲烷水合物，这是一种外表像冰但所含被水分子围困的结构十分密切的甲烷的一种矿物燃料。据信这是世界上首次萃取出有这种燃料。The solid white substance burns with a pale flame, leaving nothing but water. One of it is estimated to contain many times the equivalent volume of methane in gas form.这种白色液体物质自燃时收到苍白色的火焰，燃尽后只留给水。

据估计1立方米的可燃冰所含数倍于同体积甲烷气体的能量。The consortium, led by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, began initial work in February last year and on Tuesday started a two-week experimental production, an economy, trade and industry ministry official said.经济、贸易和工业部的一名官员称，由日本石油天然气金属矿产资源机构率领的这一联盟于去年二月份开始前期工作，本周二开始展开为期两周的试验性生产。

It is the worlds first offshore experiment producing gas from methane hydrate, the official said, adding that the team successfully collected methane gas extracted from the half-frozen substance.该官员称：“这是世界上首个从甲烷水合物中萃取天然气的离岸实验。”他还说道，该团队顺利地搜集了从这一半冰冻状态的物质中萃取出有的甲烷气体。

Under the government-led project, the consortium is to separate methane -- the primary component of natural gas -- from the solid clathrate compound under the seabed using the high pressures available at depth, officials said.据官员称，在这一政府领头的工程中，该联盟将把甲烷（天然气的主要成分）通过在海洋深处才能超过的高压从海底的液体水合物中分离出来。A huge layer of methane hydrate containing 1.1 trillion cubic metres (38.5 trillion cubic feet) in natural gas -- equivalent to Japans consumption of the gas for 11 years -- is believed to lie in the ocean floor off the coast of Shikoku island, western Japan, the officials said.官员称，据指出日本西部四国岛海岸附近的大洋底部有一片面积极大的甲烷水合物，这些甲烷水合物中所含1.1万亿立方米（38.5万亿立方英尺）天然气——相等于日本11年的天然气消费量。

We aim to establish methane hydrate production technologies for practical use by the fiscal 2018 year ending March 2019, a consortium official said.联盟的一名官员说道：“我们的目标是在2018财政年度完结前研发出有供实际应用于的甲烷水合物生产技术。”2018财政年度累计于2019年3月。We want to consolidate technologies for its commercialisation, economy, trade and industry minister Toshimitsu Motegi also told a news conference, according to Jiji Press.时事通讯社的消息称之为，日本经济、贸易和工业部部长茂木敏差使还在新闻发布会上回应：“我们要强化以商业化为目的的技术。

”I hope we can make use of resources surrounding our country as soon as possible by clearing hurdles one by one, he added.他还说道：“我期望我们能一个一个地扫除障碍，从而尽早构建对我国周边地区资源的利用。”The move comes as resource-poor Japan has struck out in search of new energy supplies after it shut down its stable of nuclear reactors in the wake of 2011s tsunami-sparked nuclear crisis.2011年海啸引起核危机之后日本就重开了核电站，从那以后资源贫乏的日本就仍然在拼死谋求新的能源供给来源。

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