On June 11th, the reporter learned from the News Office of Sinopec that recently, Sinopec has made significant breakthroughs in deep shale gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin. The Ziyang 2 well deployed in Ziyang City has completed drilling at a depth of 6666 meters and tested a daily production of 1.257 million cubic meters of high-yield industrial gas flow and 3.06 million cubic meters of unobstructed flow; The Jinye 3 well deployed in Leshan City has completed drilling at a depth of 5850 meters and tested a daily production of 826000 cubic meters of high-yield industrial gas flow. Prior to this, the Jinshi 103HF well also achieved a major breakthrough. The target reservoirs of the above-mentioned exploration wells are all Cambrian, and high-yield shale gas has been obtained from multiple wells and locations, confirming that deep and ultra deep Cambrian shale has the potential for large-scale storage increase and is expected to become a new replacement layer for shale gas. This is of great significance for promoting shale gas exploration and development in China and ensuring national energy security.

The drilling construction site of Sinopec Ziyang 2 well. Photo by Liu Shushi

Theoretical and technological innovation has opened up a new field of shale gas exploration and development. Since the significant exploration breakthrough of the Fuling shale gas field in 2012, after more than a decade of exploration, shale gas in the Sichuan Basin has become an important battlefield for China's natural gas production growth, with proven reserves of nearly 3 trillion cubic meters and an annual output of over 24 billion cubic meters. The Cambrian shale that achieved the breakthrough this time has an ancient geological age, is buried deeper, has thin shale thickness, and is difficult to transform on a large scale. So far, no commercial breakthrough has been achieved. Sinopec Southwest Petroleum Bureau has continuously conducted practical exploration and theoretical innovation, transformed concepts, and formed a new shale reservoir formation model. The Jinshi 103HF well deployed in Leshan achieved a major breakthrough in Cambrian shale gas exploration for the first time in October 2022. Afterwards, multiple wells such as Jinye 3 and Ziyang 2 deployed in Leshan and Ziyang areas successively obtained high-yield commercial gas flow.

Production testing site of Sinopec Ziyang 2 well. Photo by Wang Ping

Sinopec continues to promote the high-quality development of China's shale gas industry. China has the resource characteristics of "rich in coal, poor in oil, and low in gas", and has long been a major importer of oil and gas. The exploration and development of shale gas has important strategic significance for China's energy landscape. Sinopec actively took on the responsibility of finding gas for the country and discovered the Fuling shale gas field at the end of 2012, marking the beginning of China's commercial development of shale gas and making China the third country after the United States and Canada to achieve commercial development of shale gas. In 2017, China's first shale gas field with a production capacity of billions of cubic meters, the Fuling shale gas field, was built; In 2020, China's first deep shale gas field with proven reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters, the Weirong Shale Gas Field Phase I project, was completed, continuously injecting new impetus into the development of clean energy.

The fracturing construction site of Sinopec Ziyang 2 well. Photo by Wan Dahui

The major breakthrough in the exploration of Cambrian shale gas in the Sichuan Basin, which is daring to question existing theories and explore new directions, is the practical achievement of implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's principle that innovation is the primary driving force. The significance lies in the theoretical innovation, which has transformed the traditional concept of only searching for shale gas in organic rich shale, discovered new types of shale gas, opened up new fields of shale gas exploration and development, and greatly expanded the resource potential of shale gas; The Ziyang 2 well has achieved a daily open flow of 3.06 million cubic meters in the ultra deep Cambrian formation, making it the oldest and highest shale gas producing well in the world. It has significant leading and demonstrative significance for promoting the exploration and development of new formations and ultra deep shale gas in China.