Exploration Breakthrough in China since the Millennium: New Petroleum Systems, New Plays, and New Hopes

Xu, Tianguang¹ (1) IHS Energy, Houston, TX

Since the new millennium, 224 new discoveries have been made in China, adding 2P recoverable reserves of 5,102 MMbo and 59.13 Tcfg. These new discoveries were made not only in frontier but also in mature basins.

The most significant discoveries were found in the Tarim, Ordos, Sichuan, Junggar, Songliao, and Pearl River Mouth basins. Each significant discovery represents a major conceptual breakthrough in petroleum systems analysis and new play development. With recognition of the basin centered gas system in the Ordos basin, the giant Sulige gas field, with total 2P recoverable reserves of 16.44 Tcfg, was discovered in 2000. In the mature Sichuan and Songliao basins, new stratigraphic and deep gas plays were developed that led to the discovery of the giant Puguangsi and Qingshen gas fields, respectively. In the frontier Tarim basin, the Kuqa gas trend and Tazhong oil trend were delineated based on newly refined petroleum systems and improved seismic acquisition and processing, especially in desert and mountain front areas. The first deepwater gas discovery, Liwan 3-1, was made in 2006 in the Pearl River Mouth basin by Husky, with 2P recoverable reserves estimated at 2.5 Tcfg.

China is still teeming with good prospects and giant discoveries. Application of sequence stratigraphy in lacustrine settings has begun to play an important role in exploring stratigraphic plays. The onshore subtle plays, tight gas, and CBM will lead to continual reserve growth and the offshore new petroleum systems and plays are yet to be defined.