Data released by the National Energy Administration indicates that the "Seven-Year Action Plan" to substantially enhance oil and gas exploration and development has been successfully concluded, with both reserves and production reaching historic peaks.
According to the administration's figures, domestic crude oil production in 2025 reached 216 million tons, setting a new record. Natural gas output exceeded 260 billion cubic meters, with its equivalent volume surpassing 200 million tons for the first time. Crude oil production advanced both onshore and offshore. Established oilfields such as Daqing and Shengli achieved long-term, efficient, and stable production through rigorous reservoir management and enhanced recovery rates, while shale oil output exceeded 8.5 million tons. The Bohai Sea oilfield remained the nation's largest crude oil production base, with offshore crude output accounting for over 60% of the national increase.
Natural gas production saw balanced growth from conventional and unconventional sources. Output rose rapidly in the Ordos Basin, the Sichuan Basin, and from offshore fields. Unconventional natural gas production now constitutes 42% of the total, establishing a strategic replacement for conventional gas resources.
Between 2019 and 2025, the country added cumulative proven geological reserves of over 10 billion tons of oil and 10 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, solidifying the foundation for sustained and increased production. Crude oil output has remained above 200 million tons for four consecutive years, and natural gas production has increased by over 10 billion cubic meters annually for nine straight years. These results exceed the targets of the "Seven-Year Action Plan," further boosting the nation's self-sufficiency in oil and gas supply.
The year 2025 yielded multiple significant achievements in exploration. The Ordos Basin achieved an oil and gas output equivalent exceeding 100 million tons, with crude oil production stabilizing at 38 million tons for two consecutive years and natural gas output nearing 80 billion cubic meters, reinforcing its status as a premier energy basin. Natural gas production in the Sichuan Basin surpassed 80 billion cubic meters, contributing over 40% of the national increase. Shale gas production there reached approximately 27 billion cubic meters, significantly advancing the development of the Sichuan-Chongqing trillion-cubic-meter natural gas production base. Offshore crude oil production exceeded 66 million tons, with natural gas output around 30 billion cubic meters, resulting in a total equivalent output of 90 million tons and highlighting the growing strategic importance of offshore energy resources.
Record-breaking depths were achieved in ultra-deep scientific exploration wells, with the "Deep Earth Project" progressing efficiently. In line with the national strategy to explore the Earth's deep interior, the oil and gas industry made major strides in 2025. China National Petroleum Corporation successfully completed drilling the Take-1 well in the Tarim Basin to a depth of 10,910 meters, marking the first discovery of hydrocarbons at depths exceeding 10,000 meters. The company also deployed the Chuanke-1 well in the Sichuan Basin, which has surpassed 10,000 meters in depth, setting a global record for the largest borehole size at such extreme depths. Xinjiang Huying Company actively promoted deep resource exploration, drilling the risk exploration well Xinan-1 in the Junggar Basin to a depth exceeding 10,000 meters.