CNOOC confirms over 100 Bcm in “world first” Lingshui 36-1 gas field offshore China

(WO) – CNOOC Limited announced that the Chinese government have approved the proved gas in-place of Lingshui 36-1 gas field, which stands at over 100 Bcm. It is the first large-size, ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deepwater in the world, which opens up a new area of offshore exploration.

The Lingshui 36-1 gas field is in the southern portion of the Central Sag, Qiongdongnan basin. The average water depth of the gas field is approximately 1,500 m, and the burial depth is 210 m, making it a typical ultra-deepwater, ultra-shallow gas field. The field has been tested to produce over 10 MMcmd of absolute open flow natural gas.

CNOOC has been searching for offshore oil and gas resources in the South China Sea for decades. Multiple large-size gas fields have been discovered in Yinggehai, Qiongdongnan and Pearl River Mouth basins, namely Dongfang 1-1, Liwan 3-1, Lingshui 17-2, Baodao 21-1 and now, Lingshui 36-1.

By far, the total proved gas in-place in the region has exceeded 1 Tcm. The South China Sea trillion-cubic-meters gas region has thus become reality.

Xu Changgui, Chief Geologist of CNOOC, said, “Ultra-shallow gas reservoirs are important sources of hydrocarbon in deep waters. However, you must overcome world-class challenges to explore and develop the reservoirs. CNOOC Limited has adopted new exploration concepts on the formation mechanism and new technological approaches to tackle the challenges. The successful discovery of Lingshui 36-1 has opened up the new area of exploration for gas resources in ultra-deep-water ultra-shallow plays.”