China's first 100-billion-cubic-meter offshore gas field enters full production

(ECNS) -- The first phase of the Bozhong 19-6 gas field, China's first 100-billion-cubic-meter gas field in the Bohai Sea, has started full production, with daily oil and gas output topping 5,200 metric tons of oil equivalent, CNOOC Tianjin Branch announced on Sunday. 

The field holds proven geological reserves of more than 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas and over 200 million cubic meters of condensate, making it the largest condensate gas field in eastern China.

The field now produces 3.5 million cubic meters of natural gas a day and has supplied more than 2.8 billion cubic meters in total, supporting energy supplies in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and around the Bohai Rim.

During the first phase, the project completed 10 ultra-deep wells averaging more than 5,500 meters in depth, a record for the Bohai oilfield.

Working at depths beyond 5,000 meters and reservoir temperatures of up to 204 degrees Celcius, CNOOC made breakthroughs in ultra-deep drilling, including what it says is the world's first multilateral well operation in an Archean buried-hill formation. 

The Bohai oilfield produced more than 21 million metric tons of oil and gas in the first half of this year, a record high. Drilling for the second phase has also begun.

(By Helen Mo, intern Liu Shuangjing)