China National Offshore Oil Corp., the Chinese energy major and with LNG interests, has started production at its largest natural gas field in the central Bohai Sea offshore China. CNOCC aims to produce 3 trillion cubic metres of gas in South China Sea, the Bohai Sea and onshore China as it seeks to lower its reliance on LNG imports.
Commercial production is now well underway at the Bozhong 19-6 Gas Field in Block 5 well, situated in central Bohai Sea at about 23 metres average water depth. The gas and condensate field is the first 100 billion cubic metres (bcm) field to be put in production in Bohai Bay and provide the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Bohai Rim regions with stable and comparatively cheap domestic gas supply.
Further 10 development wells are planned to reach full production by 2026, notably the Bozhong 19-6 Gas Field 13-2 Block 5, the Suizhong 36-2 oil field 36-2 Block development and the Bozhong 19-2 and oil and gas project. CNOOC owing these projects entirely and acting as the operator of the fields.
The Bohai resources are the largest crude oil production base in China and rank alongside CNOOC’s share of assets offshore Guyana, co-owned with ExxonMobil and Hess. Apart from conventional fields, CNOOC is also developing onshore shale gas plays, namely Shenfu, Linxing and Panhe in the Qinshui Basin and the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin.
