China’s largest offshore shallow lithologic oilfield project now operational, with daily output exceeding 2,800 tons

China’s largest offshore shallow lithologic oilfield, the first-phase project of the Kenli 10-2 oilfield cluster, has been fully put into operation, with daily crude oil output exceeding 2,800 tons, providing strong support for stable oil production across the Bohai Oilfield, China’s largest crude oil production base, according to a report by China Media Group.

The Kenli 10-2 oilfield is located in the southern waters of the Bohai Sea, with an average water depth of about 20 meters and proven geological reserves exceeding 100 million tons.

The first-phase project includes one newly built central processing platform and two unmanned wellhead platforms, with a total of 79 development wells being drilled.

The oil and gas resources are mainly stored in narrow and winding sand bodies that are interwoven with one another, resembling the crisscrossing shadows of tree branches on the ground and forming a typical “branch-like” pattern there. The project marks China’s first offshore development of a branch-like heavy oil reservoir.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that the continued development of offshore oilfields such as Kenli 10-2 reflects China’s broader push to increase domestic oil and gas reserves and production.

“As global energy market uncertainties remain elevated, boosting offshore crude output is important for enhancing China’s energy supply resilience,” Lin said.

According to data from the National Energy Administration, China’s oil and gas output has steadily increased during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), with offshore crude oil serving as a key growth driver and accounting for more than 60 percent of the country’s newly added crude production for five consecutive years.

China’s offshore crude oil production is expected to reach around 68 million tons in 2025, up by about 2.5 million tons year-on-year and accounting for roughly 80 percent of the country’s total crude oil output growth, according to a report released by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Energy Economics Institute.