China's Largest Coalbed Methane Field Achieves Annual Production Capacity Exceeding 4 Billion Cubic Meters

Deep News
Mar 05

China's largest coalbed methane field, the Daji Gas Field located in Shanxi Province, has surpassed an annual production capacity of 4 billion cubic meters, positioning it as a key resource to support the country's growing natural gas output. Coalbed methane is an unconventional natural gas resource stored in deep underground coal seams, typically at depths exceeding 1,500 meters, offering significant potential for exploration and development. The Daji Gas Field, situated in southwestern Shanxi, is China's first demonstration project for coalbed methane extraction. Since the beginning of this year, 16 new wells have been drilled at the field, adding 250 million cubic meters of production capacity and boosting daily gas output to over 11 million cubic meters, a 32% increase compared to the same period last year. Compared to conventional natural gas, coalbed methane is found at greater depths and in more complex geological conditions, making extraction technically challenging. For many years, it was considered a "deep frontier" in oil and gas exploration. In 2019, PetroChina made a technological breakthrough when its first coalbed methane well, Daji 3-7, achieved commercial gas flow. In December 2021, the Jishen 6-7 well recorded a daily output exceeding 100,000 cubic meters, becoming China's first highly productive coalbed methane well. With an average depth of 2,130 meters and proven geological reserves of 400 billion cubic meters, the Daji Gas Field is China's first large-scale coalbed methane development project. It now accounts for more than 80% of the country's total coalbed methane production. As a major coal-producing nation, China possesses abundant coalbed methane resources with widespread distribution and significant exploration potential, making it a crucial contributor to the country's natural gas output growth. Recent discoveries in the Ordos Basin have further confirmed the substantial geological reserves of coalbed methane, exceeding 500 billion cubic meters. In recent years, PetroChina has drilled 159 horizontal wells in the Daji Gas Field, with the highest daily output per well reaching 160,000 cubic meters and cumulative production per well surpassing 70 million cubic meters. Sinopec has achieved annual production of 400 million cubic meters of coalbed methane in the Yanchuannan block, marking a milestone in commercial mid-to-deep coalbed methane development. Meanwhile, CNOOC has proven reserves of over 110 billion cubic meters of deep coalbed methane in the Shenfu block of northeastern Ordos. Experts predict that by 2035, China's annual coalbed methane production could reach 40 to 50 billion cubic meters, establishing it as the next major natural gas resource after tight gas and shale gas.

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