Sinopec announces gas discovery in China's Sichuan basin
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) has made a gas discovery in the Sichuan basin, it announced on August 23.
The company has secured official certification for the proven geological reserve of natural gas in the Bazhong gas field's phase-I, amounting to 30.55bn m3. This achievement marks an advancement in Sinopec's Project Deep Earth-Sichuan and Chongqing natural gas base.
The Bazhong gas field represents the third Xujiahe formation tight sandstone gas field discovered by Sinopec in the region.
The sandstone gas reservoir, with its burial depth exceeding 4,500 m, qualifies as an ultra-deep, tight sandstone gas reservoir. The Bazhong gas field's burial depth ranges from 4,550 to 5,225 m, posing a challenge for exploration and development. To address this, Sinopec introduced three high-quality reservoir and permeability development models.
Sinopec said it will now focus on the geological assessment and engineering process for tight sandstone shale gas reserves in the Sichuan Basin. The aim is to expand the reserve scale in the Bazhong region through continued efforts in exploration and development, it added.