CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Xingye No.9 Well, a wildcat well of SINOPEC in Wanzhou District, Chongqing, produced a large amount of shale oil and gas, with a daily production of 108.15 cubic meters of oil and 15,800 cubic meters of gas. The shale oil and gas of SINOPEC’s Fuling shale gas field in Lianggaoshan Formations in the Fuxing area (covering Fuling, Wanzhou, and other districts and counties) amount to 712 million tons and 0.57 trillion cubic meters respectively. This is the first oil field discovered by SINOPEC in the Sichuan Basin with billions of tons of crude oil resources.

Shale oil refers to the petroleum resources contained in shale formations. Compared to conventional petroleum, shale oil is produced by fracturing the rock formations that contain layers of oil. The Sichuan Basin is full of gas and in 2022, it ranked third in China in terms of oil and gas production. However, it produced only 119,000 tons of crude oil, which accounts for 0.1% of the national crude oil production.

Early studies concluded that the Lianggaoshan Formations in the Wanzhou area is not an oil field abounding with shale oil and gas resources, but in recent years, SINOPEC’s exploration team has gained a new understanding of the main factors for the richness and high production through in-depth researches and studies. SINOPEC has built and put into use Taiye No.1 Well and Fuye No.10 Well in the Fuxing area, achieving breakthroughs in the exploration of Lianggaoshan Formations and Dongyuemiao section of Ziliujing Formations. The discovery of Xingye No.9 Well has also broadened the field of shale oil and gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin and made an important contribution to ensuring energy security in China.

Sinopec has innovatively formed geophysical prediction technology and fracking technology for continental oil shale, ensuring a 100% drilling rate for the long horizontal section of Xingye No.9 Well and high-quality shale. This also means that SINOPEC's continental shale engineering technology has made significant breakthroughs. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)