China’s largest desert oilfield tops 26 mln tonnes of oil and gas from below 6,000 metres
In short
China National Petroleum Corporation said the Hade-Fuman oilfield, described as the country’s largest desert oilfield, has produced more than 26 million tonnes of oil and gas from below 6,000 metres. At the Zhentan 1 well on the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, crews retrieved rock core from 8,080 metres below ground, the first time China has taken core below 8,000 metres on the northwestern margin of the Tarim Basin. The Tarim oilfield has drilled 485 ultra-deep wells at Hade-Fuman, according to the reports.
Why it matters
The figures are presented by the operator and relayed by state media as evidence that China’s ultra-deep formations, where more than half of the Tarim Basin’s proven reserves lie, are producing at scale. The 8,080-metre core supports drilling and geological work at depths that had not previously been sampled in that part of the basin. The documents do not give independent verification or production targets.
Key facts
- CNPC said the Hade-Fuman oilfield, described as China’s largest desert oilfield, has produced more than 26 million tonnes of oil and gas from below 6,000 metres. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- At the Zhentan 1 well on the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, rock core was retrieved from 8,080 metres below ground; the documents say the core had lain underground for about 500 million years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The reports describe it as the first time China has taken core from below 8,000 metres on the northwestern margin of the Tarim Basin. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Tarim oilfield has drilled 485 ultra-deep wells at Hade-Fuman, of which 133 have cumulatively produced more than 100,000 tonnes of oil and gas and 464 have produced more than 10,000 tonnes. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Proven oil and gas reserves in the Tarim Basin exceed 5 billion tonnes, more than half of it in ultra-deep formations, according to the reports. [ 2 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- CNPC said the Hade-Fuman oilfield has produced more than 26 million tonnes of oil and gas from below 6,000 metres. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Rock core was extracted from 8,080 metres at the Zhentan 1 well, described as a first for the northwestern margin of the Tarim Basin below 8,000 metres. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Tarim oilfield has drilled 485 ultra-deep wells at Hade-Fuman, with 133 wells above 100,000 tonnes and 464 above 10,000 tonnes of cumulative oil and gas output. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- The period over which Hade-Fuman produced the 26 million tonnes from below 6,000 metres. The documents say output “has exceeded” the figure but give no start date or time span.
- The date the Zhentan 1 core was taken. Documents say only that it happened “recently”, with no specific date.
- The place where the wells and the core operation are located beyond the Tarim Basin and the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert. No city or administrative area is named in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- CLS reports that Hade-Fuman has produced more than 26 million tonnes from below 6,000 metres and that the Zhentan 1 well yielded core from 8,080 metres. [ 1 ]
- China News Service publishes the same figures with the well counts and Tarim Basin reserve data. [ 2 ]
- 36Kr relays the report, citing CCTV News. [ 3 ]
- IT Home publishes its version, headlining the 6,000-metre output level. [ 5 ]