China’s energy sector just got a significant boost! The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced on Monday the discovery of a major oilfield in the eastern South China Sea, boasting proven reserves exceeding 100 million tonnes.
The newly discovered Huizhou 19-6 oilfield represents a breakthrough in offshore oil exploration for the Chinese mainland. According to CNOOC, it’s the country’s first large-scale integrated clastic oilfield found in deep to ultra-deep layers.
Located approximately 170 kilometers off the coast of Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province, the oilfield lies at an average water depth of 100 meters. Test drilling has shown promising results, yielding a daily output of 413 barrels of crude oil and 68,000 cubic meters of natural gas.
Offshore exploration in deep to ultra-deep layers presents numerous challenges, such as high temperatures, high pressures, and complex geological conditions. Clastic reservoirs, which are crucial components of deep-sea hydrocarbon deposits, typically have low permeability, making the discovery of sizable oil and gas fields particularly difficult.
Peng Guangrong, a geologist at CNOOC’s Shenzhen branch, highlighted the significance of this discovery. “Sixty percent of the world’s newly discovered oil and gas reserves have come from deep layers,” he noted. “With abundant resources and minimal prior exploration, deep to ultra-deep layers are poised to drive future growth in oil and gas reserves and production.”
This is not the first major find in the region. Zhou Xinhuai, CEO of CNOOC, pointed out that China’s oil and gas exploration in the eastern South China Sea has achieved consecutive breakthroughs, with oilfields exceeding 100 million tonnes in reserves discovered for two straight years.
What’s Next? The discovery of the Huizhou 19-6 oilfield could play a crucial role in bolstering the Chinese mainland’s energy security and meeting the growing energy demands of its population. As exploration and extraction technologies advance, more such discoveries might be on the horizon, potentially reshaping the energy landscape in the region.
