On August 7, Huabei Oilfield Company held an appointment ceremony and formally named Yuan Shiyi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as its senior adviser for enhanced oil and gas recovery.

Yuan is one of China’s leading strategic scientists in enhanced oil and gas recovery. He chairs the Expert Committee of the Central SOE CCUS Innovation Consortium under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, serves as chair of the Academic Committee of the National Key Laboratory for Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, and is CNPC’s chief technical expert for gas injection and carbon capture, utilization and storage.

The cooperation will focus on overcoming critical technological challenges in enhancing recovery from mature oilfields, providing essential technological support for Huabei Oilfield’s efforts to maintain and increase production while advancing its green transition.

Yuan has worked in oil and gas development for decades and established a comprehensive system of development theories and engineering methods suited to China’s complex reservoirs. The industrial application of these technologies has delivered notable production and efficiency gains. He previously served as chief scientist of a project under China’s National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973 Program. His honors include one first prize and three second prizes in the State Scientific and Technological Progress Awards, the State Council Special Government Allowance and the Sun Yueqi Energy Grand Prize.

Yuan commended Huabei Oilfield’s recent achievements in expanding reserves, increasing production and implementing more precise development practices. He noted that enhanced recovery at mature oilfields requires meticulous work, including in-depth analysis of current conditions and detailed reservoir classification. On this basis, the most appropriate core technology should be identified for each individual reservoir unit.

He called for stronger strategic guidance, the formulation of a development plan for enhanced recovery, clear objectives and detailed phased plans, with resources concentrated on priority areas. He also recommended adopting a rolling three-generation technology development model to ensure continuity between different stages of technological research. Field pilots and demonstrations should be conducted systematically by carefully selecting pilot blocks, standardizing test designs, defining objectives, promptly evaluating results and developing replicable models.

Wu Xi, executive director and secretary of the CPC Huabei Oilfield Committee, thanked Yuan for his longstanding guidance and support. He said the cooperation would help foster an open technological innovation ecosystem, support stable and increased oilfield production, accelerate the development of a modern energy system and promote the company’s high-quality growth. Huabei Oilfield will coordinate its resources to fully support Yuan and his team.

Regarding implementation, Wu said Huabei Oilfield would align its research with China’s national energy strategy and draw on Yuan’s guidance to refine its research direction. The company will leverage the academician team’s advanced research platforms to overcome conventional R&D path dependence, strengthen basic research, optimize its overall research portfolio and address fundamental scientific and technological challenges.

Focusing on its core mission of maintaining production and ensuring energy supply, Huabei Oilfield will draw fully on the team’s research strengths, concentrate its leading researchers on critical bottleneck technologies in oil and gas development, resolve operational difficulties at production sites and accelerate the commercial application of research成果.

The company will also integrate technological development with talent cultivation. Major joint research projects will provide practical training platforms for building a technological innovation team comprising future leaders, experienced professionals and young researchers.

Huabei Oilfield will improve mechanisms connecting industry, academia, research and application. It will establish an integrated, demand-driven system covering research, production and closed-loop implementation, identify operational and research challenges, prepare detailed lists of priority technologies, refine cooperation plans, jointly apply for major research programs and implement closed-loop management throughout the entire project lifecycle.

At the ceremony, the Development Division presented a special report on enhanced oil and gas recovery, outlining Huabei Oilfield’s existing technologies, research priorities and next steps. Wu presented Yuan with his appointment certificate. Members of the company’s leadership team, technical experts, deputy chief specialists and representatives from relevant departments and subsidiaries attended the ceremony.