China finds 25.1 trillion cubic meters of shale gas for 200 years

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the report of the National Survey and Assessment of the Potential of Shale Gas Resources and the Optimization of the Favorable Areas, released by the Ministry of Land and Resources on the 1st, shows that China's land-based shale gas geological resource potential exceeds 134 trillion cubic meters, and its recoverable resource potential More than 25 trillion cubic meters. Although the above figures are slightly lower than the earlier estimate of 31 trillion cubic meters, it is still much higher than the US's 13.6 trillion cubic meters adjusted-down estimate, and it is one of the countries with the largest shale gas reserves in the world. For shale gas as an energy pillar. According to China's current natural gas consumption, 25 trillion cubic meters of shale gas can be used by China for nearly 200 years if it is fully mined. Foreign media said that China plans to invest heavily in the development of huge shale gas resources, catch up with the energy that is happening in the United States, and meet a large part of domestic energy demand.

China's shale gas resources are mainly distributed in Sichuan and its sparsely populated areas. The Deputy Director of the Department of Geological Exploration of China's Ministry of Land and Resources said that China's shale gas resources are abundant and suitable for large-scale development. However, the geological conditions are complex and the exploration technology is lagging behind that of advanced countries. Therefore, it will be difficult to extract, but shale gas There is no doubt that it will be in an important position in China's energy policy. Ding ** said at a press conference on Thursday that "the development and utilization of shale gas is of great significance to optimizing China's energy structure, improving the ability of sustainable energy supply, and promoting economic and social development. China's natural gas consumption continues to grow rapidly, supply and demand The situation is tight. If China's annual output of shale gas can reach more than 100 billion cubic meters by 2020, it is hopeful that China's oil and gas resources development pattern will change and become an important pillar of China's energy."

The report of the US Department of Energy’s Intelligence Bureau last year stated that China’s “technically exploitable” resources are 50% more than the United States. However, analysts cautioned that any estimate of shale gas resources in China is based on extremely limited drilling data, and the geology of shale gas resources in China is not fully understood by relevant parties.

China has surpassed the United States to become the world's largest energy consumer. With China's middle class buying cars and the process of industrialization continuing at an alarming rate, energy imports have soared. At present, China is too dependent on coal for energy.

The British "Financial Times" said that a large amount of shale gas resources found in China can help reduce oil and natural gas imports. At present, multinational companies, including Anglo-Dutch Shell, Chevron, and BP, have been working hard with PetroChina, CNOOC and Sinopec to develop shale gas resources in China, but these projects have not yet been put into commercial use. produce.

China has tried to promote the development of other "unconventional" natural gas resources such as shale gas and coalbed methane through supportive policies such as price subsidies. In order to seek unconventional natural gas extraction technologies, China’s large oil companies have gone overseas. CNOOC and Sinopec invested billions of dollars in unconventional gas projects abroad last year. Analysts cautioned that the estimate of shale gas resources in China is based on very limited drilling, and people do not fully understand the shale gas geology in China. Gavin Middot. Thompson, head of China-based natural gas research at Wood-McKenzie, said: “There may be a lot of resources that have the potential to be exploited, but it does not mean that it can be produced in large quantities. It may be very costly to invest in production, or it may belong to different species. The shale ... There are many variables that need to be understood.” Thompson said building adequate pipeline infrastructure, reforming the natural gas pricing system and establishing a clear management framework are all uncertain factors that will affect the development of shale gas resources in China.