NI Bureau
China has started drilling a 10,000-meter hole in the ground for the second time this year. The purpose is to explore ultra-deep reserves of natural gas. China National Petroleum Corp. Commenced Drilling The Shendi Chuanke 1 Well in Sichuan province with a planned depth of 10,520 meters (6.5 miles), as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
This project comes after CNPC began drilling a similarly-sized well in Xinjiang in May, which was hailed as the deepest ever undertaken in China at that time. While the previous well was labeled experimental, aimed at testing drilling technologies and collecting data on the Earth’s internal structure, the Sichuan undertaking is focused on finding ultra-deep reserves of natural gas, as per Xinhua.
Sichuan, a southeastern province known for its spicy food, stunning mountain views, and pandas, also holds some of China’s largest shale gas reserves. However, state-owned oil giants in the country have faced challenges in effectively extracting these resources due to difficult terrain and complex underground geology.
In recent years, China’s government has urged energy companies to enhance fuel security by increasing domestic production in response to power shortages, geopolitical issues, and global price fluctuations.
