China's Changqing Field Output Totals 300bn m³

China’s massive Changqing field’s cumulative gas production has crossed the 300bn m³ mark, making it one of the largest in the country, CNPC said November 7.

The Changqing field, located in the Ordos Basin and operated by CNPC, was discovered in 1971 and production commenced in 1975. The field is spread across the provinces of Shaanxi, Ganshu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi. Now, natural gas accounts for almost half of the production. The early decades did not yield much gas but output from the field has surged in last decade. In 2015, the field produced more than 37bn m³ of natural gas compared with only 1.7bn m³ in 1997.

The Ordos Basin is one of the most energy rich areas of China and home also to many other kinds of energy and mineral resources. The basin contributes most to the reserves of natural gas, coalbed methane, and coal already proven in China. According to CNPC, it contains about 11 trillion m³ of natural gas and 19 trillion m³ of coalbed methane.

Shardul Sharma