China's independently-developed deepwater gas field upgraded to remote control production

Photo taken on June 8, 2021 shows a partial view of the Deep Sea No. 1 oil production and storage facility located at Lingshui 17-2 gas field some 150 km off the island province of Hainan.(Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- China's first independently-developed and built ultra-deepwater gas field Shenhai Yihao, or Deep Sea No.1, has been upgraded to remote control production and can now ensure safe and stable production during typhoons, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) said on Monday.

The biggest challenge that ultra-deepwater gas fields face is the frequency of typhoons in the summer and autumn seasons, but Deep Sea No.1's production equipment is in optimal operating condition at present, said Liu Xiaogang, general manager of CNOOC's Hainan subsidiary.

Deep Sea No.1, located 150 kilometers from the city of Sanya in south China's island province of Hainan and being able to operate at a maximum depth of over 1,500 meters in the sea, has provided over 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas since it was put into operation in June 2021.

The gas field's operations demonstrate the country's ultra-deepwater oil and gas drilling capabilities, and are of great significance to ensuring national energy security, optimizing the country's energy structure and promoting regional economic development.