China's domestic gas supplies boosted as major offshore gas project comes on line

Hong Kong-listed offshore exploration and production giant CNOOC Limited has brought on stream a major $2.4 billion gas and condensate development in China’s shallow-water Bohai Bay.

The Bozhong 19-6 phase one project was the largest offshore China project in the company’s portfolio this year, designed to produce at a peak of 37,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The field contains a proved in-place volume of over 200 billion cubic metres of gas and a similar volume of condensate.

The development concept is one large offshore central processing platform in water depths of about 20 metres, three smaller wellhead platforms and one gas processing terminal.

The are 65 development wells to be commissioned, including 42 production wells. There will be 20 gas injection wells and three water wells.

CNOOC Ltd owns 100% of the development.

Zhou Xinhuai, chief executive of the company, said: “The project is the first condensate gas field with a proved in-place volume of over 200 billion cubic meters natural gas that has been put into operation in Bohai Bay, relying on the Bozhong-Kenli Oilfields Onshore Power Project.

“The gas field will supply stable clean energy to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Bohai Rim region, and contribute to the low-carbon and high-quality development of the company.”

In a recent presentation, CNOOC Ltd said gas exploration in the Bohai area, which is traditionally an oil province, is a new focus.

There will be a focus on the Bozhong 19-6 “buried hill belt” and the Mesozoic “hurried hills” in the Bozhong Depression.