The total crude oil production in Inner Mongolia's Hetao Basin has surpassed 5 million tons, reaching 5.0003 million tons as of December 21, according to the regional government.

The Hetao Basin, characterized by complex hydrocarbon accumulation conditions, hosts China's deepest continental clastic rock oil reservoirs, with its main oilfields averaging a burial depth exceeding 5,000 meters. In August 2018, PetroChina's Huabei Oilfield Company drilled the first high-yield industrial oil well in the basin, confirming the region's significant exploration potential.

Since large-scale exploration and development began in 2018, the basin has simultaneously advanced geological surveys, drilling, extraction, and surface engineering while accelerating breakthroughs in ultra-deep well drilling and completion technologies. The first 1 million tons of crude output took 49 months to achieve, but subsequent milestones—the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th million-ton increments—were reached in just 13, 10, 9, and 8 months respectively, reflecting rapid progress in exploration efficiency and steady growth in production capacity.

Over the past seven years, the Hetao Basin has generated an industrial output value of 16.13 billion yuan from crude oil, contributing 2.94 billion yuan in taxes.