China’s Shale Oil Output Surpasses 20 Mt

China’s largest shale-oil base, PetroChina Changqing Oilfield, has surpassed 20 million tons of cumulative shale-oil output, marking a major milestone in China’s “shale revolution.” Located in the Ordos Basin, Changqing’s shale oil features extremely low permeability and complex geology, long considered among the most difficult resources to develop. Through over 120,000 lab experiments and extensive field trials, breakthroughs were achieved in reservoir theory, large-scale horizontal drilling, and volumetric fracturing. New technologies increased single-well output from 1.5 to 18 tons, enabling efficient large-scale development. In 2024, Changqing contributed over half of China’s total shale-oil production, with daily output surpassing 10,000 tons for the first time.

Sinopec Establishes Shanxi CBM Company

Sinopec has officially established Sinopec (Shanxi) Coalbed Methane Co., Ltd., with Liu Xiao as legal representative and a registered capital of 450 million RMB. The new company’s business scope covers onshore oil and gas extraction, mineral exploration, non-coal mining, and gas operations. Corporate records show the company is wholly owned by China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec). The move strengthens Sinopec’s strategic layout in the coalbed methane sector and supports China’s efforts to advance cleaner energy development.

Sinopec Units Advance Digital Shale-Gas Plan

On November 6, a Zhejiang University SUPCON technical team met with Sinopec’s Zhejiang Oilfield branches in Chongqing to advance the deep shale-gas capacity project for the Daan 101 block. Discussions focused on digital transformation, intelligent management, and coordinated control across the full production chain. Key challenges identified include wide management scope, inconsistent data standards, heavy integrity-management tasks, and limited technical support. SUPCON proposed solutions such as digital delivery, full-level production management, enhanced integrity modules, and unified data and knowledge bases. Both sides agreed on a phased roadmap—design optimization, pilot testing, and full rollout—aiming to build Daan 101 into a replicable model for intelligent shale-gas development.