Major project in China's largest ultra-deep oilfield kicks off operation

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 4, 2023 shows a major gas and oil processing station in the Fuman oilfield in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Chen Shibing/Xinhua)

URUMQI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A major gas and oil processing station in the Fuman oilfield, located in the Tarim Basin, was put into operation on Sunday evening, according to the Tarim oilfield branch of PetroChina, China's leading oil and gas producer.

The Fuman oilfield, China's largest ultra-deep oilfield, boasts more than 1 billion tonnes of oil and gas resources, which are mainly detected underground at 7,500 meters to 10,000 meters deep, the company said.

According to the company, the Fuman oilfield is expected to produce 5 million tonnes of oil and gas equivalent annually by 2025.

Construction of the station in the Fuman oilfield started in February this year. A new oil and gas treatment device with an annual output of 2 million tonnes of crude oil and 2 million cubic meters of natural gas has been built, and more than 220 km of oil and gas pipelines and related auxiliary production devices have been installed to provide strong support for improving the efficiency of exploring the Fuman oilfield.

At present, the oil and gas production of the Fuman oilfield has been rising rapidly with an average annual growth rate of more than 700,000 tonnes for three consecutive years, and the oil and gas production exceeded 3.3 million tonnes in 2022.

"At present, the daily oil production of the Fuman oilfield has exceeded 9,600 tonnes, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the daily crude oil production of the Tarim Oilfield. This year, the annual oil and gas output of the oilfield has continued to maintain a high growth trend and it is expected to exceed 4 million tonnes, hitting a record high. This will further enhance the crude oil supply and winter natural gas support capacity," said Wang Xiaopeng, a person in charge of the exploitation of the Fuman oilfield.

Located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tarim Basin is a significant petroliferous basin in China. The ultra-deep oil and gas resources in the basin account for more than 60 percent of the total onshore ultra-deep oil and gas resources in China, and 19 percent of the global total.