39 



Mr. Emery. I guess what you are saying is that due to the fact 

 that the nutrients are concentrated more on the depth than on the 

 surface, you depend upon the flow of nutrients from the water 

 which is really too deep to provide adequate photosynthesis? 



Dr. Flowers. That is correct. 



Mr. Emery. All I am trying to get at is whether or not it is 

 necessary to have some kind of a complicated pumping system, 

 whether or not it is possible to grow these things in an area and 

 eliminate that step by the energy consumption process. 



Dr. Flowers. For instance, on the west coast of California, the 

 kelp beds get fertilized about 3 months out of the year. Natural 

 upwelling on the coastline. On the east coast, for instance. New 

 Jersey, New York, and New England area, as I understand it, the 

 water there for 100 miles out are nutrient rich. Mainly from wastes 

 from the land. In some areas, as the river outcrops in the ocean, it 

 is rich for that reason. 



Nutrients are added to the ocean from runoffs from the land as 

 well as from dying fish and seaweed and things like that in the 

 ocean itself. 



Mr. Emery. Also, there is a great deal of water table and water 

 motion which results in a more thorough mixing than you might 

 find in other places. 



Dr. Flowers. That is right. 



Mr. Emery. One other question. Have you had an opportunity to 

 compare the cost of the synthetic methane made from seaweed to 

 natural gas? Natural gas price now depending on who you buy 

 from may be $2.25 per thousand cubic feet. Have you cost com- 

 pared it? 



Dr. Flowers. We would not be cost competitive with natural gas. 

 We would be with other forms of synthetic gas, and that is the 

 whole key. 



Mr. Emery. How much are we talking about in the cost compari- 

 son? Natural gas just picking a figure out of thin air is $2.25 per 

 thousand feet. What is the comparable price? 



Dr. Flowers. We said that our preliminary studies indicate a 

 cost range from $3 to $6 a million Btu. 



Mr. Emery. So you would very definitely be competitive with 

 other forms of synthetic fuel but not necessarily with the cost of 

 petroleum natural gases as it occurs now? 



Dr. Flowers. Not at the present time, no. 



Mr. Emery. Do you anticipate, as your technology proves and as 

 the petroleum derivative natural gas increases, that it will be a 

 reasonably short time before you will be cost competitive? Do you 

 anticipate that you will be considerable time reaching that point? 



Dr. Flowers. Well, on the present master plan for this program, 

 we anticipate having a good indication of what the technical and 

 economic feasibility of the program will be about 1983 to 1985. On 

 our present schedule, we do not anticipate having a commercial 

 prototype system in operation until the late 1990's. Now, that 

 program could be speeded up if necesary to do so in the present 

 slow situation that we are undergoing today, that is the present 

 schedule. Whatever costs we come up with, it does not mean any- 

 thing. 



