BEIJING, May 14, 2025 — Sinopec (HKG: 0386) has announced a significant breakthrough in shale gas exploration as part of its Project Deep Earth – Sichuan and Chongqing Natural Gas Base. The Tiebei 1HF well underwent testing and achieved a high daily output of 314,500 cubic meters of industrial gas flow. With a vertical depth exceeding 5,300 meters and a horizontal section of 1,312 meters, it has set a new vertical depth record for shale gas wells in China.
This achievement is expected to increase gas reserves and production efficiency in the Puguang area, while also aiding in the advancement of ultra-deep shale gas extraction within the Sichuan Basin. The Puguang gas and oil field, China’s first extra-large deep and high-sulfur gas field developed on a large scale, has been efficiently operating for two decades.
In pursuit of sustained shale gas production, Sinopec is actively seeking new resources and has focused on the Puguang Upper Permian. However, most resources are located in ultra-deep fields, buried over 4,500 meters deep, an area previously considered a “forbidden zone” due to rapid changes in strata velocity. Sinopec addressed this challenge through extensive research and technological innovations, achieving a 100 percent drilling encounter rate of high-quality shale in the horizontal section. Their drilling precision, likened to “threading a needle deep underground,” ultimately led to the successful drilling of the Tiebei 1HF well.
Sinopec’s proprietary 175 MPa ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) fracturing equipment dynamically optimizes parameters on-site, using customized strategies for each section. This approach created a “man-made gas road” within the high-pressure stratum at a depth of 5,300 meters, allowing for the full extraction of resources from the deepest and most remote parts of the gas reservoir, maximizing development.
Currently, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield is formulating a comprehensive exploration and development plan for the Upper Permian shale gas in Puguang, with the aim of promoting the efficient conversion of resources.
Shale gas exploration and development holds strategic importance for China’s energy sector. Sinopec is actively fulfilling its responsibility, having discovered the Fuling shale gas field in 2012, which marked the beginning of commercial shale gas development in China. The company remains committed to promoting high-quality development in China’s shale gas industry.
For more information, please visit .
Photo –
Logo –
“`