China's attempt to test marine natural gas hydrates, a future energy source, has turned out to be a success, making it the first country to secure continuous and stable gas supply in marine gas hydrate exploitation, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

The pilot production was carried out in the Shenhu Area of Northern South China Sea, the ministry said on Thursday.

Natural gas hydrates, mostly found at the bottom of continental shelf and the perpetually frozen soil, are the future clean energy source, and are regarded as a new energy source due to their high energy density, huge amount of resources and cleaning characters, it said. Natural gas hydrates can play a significant role in environmental protection and global climate change, it added.

Many countries, including United States, Canada, Japan and India, are looking at exploiting hydrate deposits as an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels.