Record high production at China's major shale gas field in 2022

This photo taken on Dec. 11, 2021 shows a section of the Fuling shale gas field of Sinopec Jianghan Oilfield in Fuling, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Sinopec Jianghan Oilfield in Fuling/Handout via Xinhua)

CHONGQING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Fuling shale gas field in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality produced approximately 7.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2022. This amounted to an increase of over 30.5 million cubic meters year on year, according to Sinopec, its developer and China's largest oil refiner.

During the same period, the gas field focused on increasing the production of its existing wells. More than 650 old wells in Fuling contributed about 6.5 billion cubic meters of production, up 3.7 percent year on year.

On Dec. 28, 2022, the Fuling gas field announced that it had set two Chinese domestic records -- for the largest number of wells on a shale gas development platform and for the highest recovery rate of well groups.

Shale gas is mainly methane -- it is considered a clean, new energy resource.

The Fuling gas field, which began commercial development in 2014, has accumulated proven reserves of nearly 900 billion cubic meters. It produces 22.7 million cubic meters of shale gas per day, bringing green and clean energy to more than 70 cities along the Yangtze River Economic Belt.