Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, June 19, 2002
China Kicks Off Huge Offshore Oil, Gas Project
China announced on Wednesday to invest 820 million yuan (98.8 million U.S. dollars) in a drive to promote high technologies for developing Bohai Sea oilfields.
China announced on Wednesday to invest 820 million yuan (98.8 million U.S. dollars) in a drive to promote high technologies for developing Bohai Sea oilfields.
The Ministry of Science and Technology, China National Petrochemical Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation in Beijing Wednesday signed an agreement on the project, which is on the list of the state's high technology improvement program initiated in March 1986.
According to the plan, by the end of 2005, a total of 500 million tons of oil reserves should be found, annual oil production from oilfields under the sea will reach 21 million tonsof crude oil and the recovery rate is expected to increase by one to five percent.
Vice Minister of Science and Technology Li Xueyong said that the country attached great importance to developing energy resources.
He Shenghou, leading scientist with the research group, said that his fellow researchers would focus on precise exploration technology, advanced drilling technology, recovery improvement technology and engineering security technology.
The researchers are expected to develop a series of new techniques and equipment, 60 to 80 patents and software copyrights,and two to three high-tech bases for offshore oilfields, he said.
According to the experts, the Bohai Sea has total reserves of 9.7 billion tons of oil and gas. The annual oil production in 2001 in the region reached only 5.6 million tons.