China’s major continental faulted basin shale oil in Jiyang,Shandong Province,which is operated by Sinopec,has achieved cumulative crude output exceeding 2 million tons,marking a breakthrough in safeguarding national energy security,China Media Group reported on Monday.
Covering 7,300 square kilometers in East China’s Shandong Province,the base has accelerated production capacity expansion this year.In the first four months of this year,the zone put 10 high-production wells into operation,delivering shale oil output of 14,000 tons,a 15 percent year-on-year increase.
Shale oil,trapped in tight and fragmented rock formations with no natural flow capacity,is widely regarded as one of the world’s most difficult exploration challenges.
Through independent innovation,Chinese researchers have conquered over 40 key technological bottlenecks.They pioneered a targeted exploration and development theory tailored for continental faulted basins.The breakthroughs have enabled the effective exploitation of 90 percent of previously inaccessible shale oil resources in the region,uncovering three 100-million-ton-level oil fields.
To date,the Jiyang shale oil demonstration zone has reported proven geological reserves of 327 million tons,with estimated total resources reaching 10.5 billion tons.The massive new reserve is equivalent to discovering a large new oilfield,supporting stable crude output growth and reinforcing China’s energy security.
China boasts abundant shale oil resources,distributed across five major basin areas including Bohai Bay and Ordos,as well as eight medium and small basins.The country’s technically recoverable shale oil reserves now rank third worldwide at about 32 billion barrels.
Unlike marine shale oil overseas,China’s shale oil is largely continental,featuring more complex geological conditions and greater development difficulties,said Guo Xusheng,an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Driven by continuous technological breakthroughs,China’s total proven shale oil reserves have reached 1.84 billion tons.The country’s annual shale oil output topped 8.5 million tons last year and is expected to surpass 10 million tons soon,demonstrating strong development prospects.
With the orderly construction of national-level shale oil demonstration zones including Jiyang,China has built the world’s largest continental shale oil development system with fully self-controllable core technologies.The industry has achieved a leap from technological breakthroughs to large-scale stable production,emerging as a strategic pillar in safeguarding national energy security.
