The winners of the 2025 Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Awards were recently announced. The project Innovation and Application of Key Experimental Testing Technologies for Shale Gas Resource Evaluation, led by the Sichuan Institute of Energy Geological Survey (hereinafter referred to as the "Institute"), received the Third Prize, marking the Institute's first-ever provincial Science and Technology Progress Award since its establishment.

The project has established a comprehensive technological system and developed new experimental testing technologies for key parameters used in shale gas resource evaluation. It has also provided domestically developed alternatives to critical equipment previously subject to technological bottlenecks in the oil and gas sector, contributing to the standardization of shale gas testing technologies in China.

To date, the project has obtained 38 Chinese invention patents and two U.S. invention patents, published 65 academic papers, including SCI-indexed papers, secured 20 software copyrights, and published one monograph. It has also contributed to the formulation and revision of 14 national and industry standards, the certification of 14 reference materials, and received 26 industry awards.

The project has been evaluated as having reached an internationally advanced overall level, with its technology for measuring gas content in deep, high-temperature shale formations reaching an internationally leading level. The research team has also been selected as a scientific and technological innovation team under the Ministry of Natural Resources' High-Level Scientific and Technological Innovation Talent Program in the field of geological prospecting.

The project's services cover more than 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China. Its technologies have been widely applied in projects undertaken by PetroChina, Sinopec and the China Geological Survey, supporting major breakthroughs in key wells. Described by mainstream media outlets such as Sichuan Daily as the "most powerful brain" behind shale gas development, the project has made a significant contribution to the development of the Sichuan-Chongqing national natural gas (shale gas) production base with an annual capacity of 100 billion cubic meters, generating substantial economic and social benefits.

Going forward, the Institute will continue implementing the initiatives outlined at the Sichuan Provincial Conference on Science and Technology Innovation, strengthening research into critical technologies and the commercialization of scientific achievements. It will work to translate more research results from laboratories into practical geological exploration and production applications, converting technological innovation into tangible support for national energy and resource security. The Institute will also take on a greater role in the new round of strategic mineral exploration breakthroughs, contributing further expertise from Sichuan's geological survey sector to safeguarding national energy and resource security.