China starts drilling ultra-deep gas wells to a depth of 10 kilometers

In order to search for new fields, China has initiated the process of drilling ultra-deep gas wells to a depth of up to 10 kilometers, Xinhua news agency reports.

On July 20, China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), the largest oil and gas company in China, began drilling the Shendi Chuanke 1 well with a design depth of 10,520 meters in the southern province of Sichuan.

It should be noted that this is the second project of this depth, after CNPC started a well in Xinjiang in May. However, it is worth noting that while the well in Xinjiang was an experimental well aimed at testing drilling technologies and obtaining data on the Earth's internal structure, the well in Sichuan is aimed at finding ultra-deep natural gas reserves.

Sichuan Province is known for its rich natural gas resources, but Chinese companies have so far only partially utilized this potential due to the difficult terrain and underground geology.

Given geopolitical tensions and volatile global prices, the Chinese government is taking steps to stimulate local domestic energy production. This policy gives Chinese energy companies more control over the country's energy resources and reduces their dependence on external suppliers.