China is producing oil and gas from a 10,910-metre well – the second-deepest hole ever drilled on Earth – China National Petroleum Corporation has announced.
The Shenditake 1 well, in the Tarim oilfield in western China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is the first “ultra-deep” well in Asia, Xinhua reported on Thursday.
“We took 270 days to drill down to around 10,000 metres, but then it took more than 300 days to open up the last 900 metres,” well manager Wang Chunsheng told the state news agency.
Wang said challenges faced by the team when the drill reached 10,000 metres included instability of the well wall, damage to drilling tools, and underground leaks.
Chinese oil giants have stepped up domestic oil and gas exploration efforts due to national energy security concerns.
The world’s second-largest economy imports most of its crude oil, mainly from Russia and Saudi Arabia. Last year, it imported 553 million tonnes, down 1.9 per cent year on year. Domestic production totalled 212.8 million tonnes, up 1.8 per cent.
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