On December 2, Academicians Li Gensheng and Wang Xiangzeng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering led a team to Yan’an, where they held a technical seminar with experts from Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum on the theme “Progress in Natural Gas Exploration and Development in the Yan’an Gas Field and New Technologies for Controlled Fracturing of Deep Coalbed Methane–Tight Gas.”

Gao Haixun, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the company, Hu Haiwen, Deputy Director of the Carbon Neutrality Future Technology Research Institute at Xi’an Shiyou University, and several technical specialists attended the seminar.

During the meeting, the Development Department presented a comprehensive report on the exploration and development progress of the Yan’an Gas Field, covering its journey from initial construction to full-scale development, breakthroughs in key technologies, their application performance, and future development plans and technical priorities. Academician Li Gensheng’s team shared cutting-edge research directions and practical approaches on “new controlled fracturing technologies for deep CBM and tight gas.”

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on drilling processes, fracturing techniques, and dewatering and gas production operations, offering suggestions for overcoming technical challenges and providing new ideas for resolving bottlenecks in the field’s development.

Academician Li Gensheng expressed gratitude to the gas field company for its long-term support of the research team and fully affirmed the remarkable achievements of the Yan’an Gas Field since its establishment. He proposed the development direction of “two deep, one unconventional, one mature, one new” for the energy sector, along with three key technical research priorities.

Academician Wang Xiangzeng noted that the Yan’an Gas Field has created a milestone by opening a new chapter of “full-basin gas production” in the Ordos Basin. He emphasized the importance of implementing the “Three New” exploration requirements, strengthening quality control across all well-construction stages, and making enhanced recovery of the Shan 1 and He 8 reservoirs a key objective. Building on their strong collaborative foundation under previous “mission-driven” research mechanisms, Wang encouraged the technical teams to further integrate industry–academia–research efforts and focus on tackling key challenges such as CBM and tight gas restimulation technologies, contributing further to national energy security.