A golden era for natural gas development in the Sichuan Basin

Abstract

Owing to the technical innovation as well as a better understanding of gas exploration, nine giant gas fields have been successively discovered in the Sichuan Basin with cumulative proven gas reserves of 3.69 trillion cubic meters, where the annual natural gas productivity ranks the second in China. The CNPC latest oil & gas resources evaluation results demonstrate that natural gas resources in the Sichuan Basin takes the first place among those petroliferous basins all over China, but its proved gas reserves is only 10%, so the exploration prospect is bright. Over the past decades, PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gas Field Company has made great efforts to complete its technical systems, improve gas pipeline networks, and streamline gas markets, laying a robust foundation for the natural gas development in the Sichuan Basin. To further enhance the natural gas reserves and productivity in this basin and to achieve the biggest gas province in China, this company presents the following major projects: progressive multi-strata exploration and development in the central Sichuan area, Safe and efficient development of high-sulfur gas fields in the northeastern Sichuan area, Demonstrative exploration and development of deep marine carbonate gas reservoirs in the northwestern Sichuan area, Exploitation and development of large Cambrian pre-salt structural gas reservoirs in the eastern Sichuan area, and Extensive and beneficial development of shale gas in southern Sichuan. As the key to the Southwest growth pole, the above projects cover all the important, hard and hot fields of the whole basin and multiple gas-bearing strata and layers. With all the projects fulfilled, natural gas productivity will be 25–29 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2020, accounting for most parts of this company's whole planning production (30 bcm in total), and will reach up to 50–70 bcm in 2030. It is predicted that natural gas development in the Sichuan Basin will be in a golden era in the long term.