Gas extraction hits new depths in Shanxi

Defying long-standing global industry limitations, the Daji Gas Field in North China has achieved a historic milestone, pushing its annual production capacity past 4 billion cubic meters in March. Located on the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin in Shanxi province, the site now accounts for more than 80 percent of China's total deep coalbed methane output, according to PetroChina.

Deep coalbed methane is mined at depths exceeding 2,000 meters, and its large-scale extraction marks a massive technological leap.

Historically, the international oil and gas sector adhered to a strict technical "red line", where coal seams buried deeper than 1,500 meters were deemed off-limits for development. Anything below 2,000 meters was widely dismissed as the "forbidden zone within the forbidden zone", where poor physical properties and low gas content made commercial extraction impossible.

"The successful development of Daji Gas Field shattered these longstanding assumptions," said Chen Ming, manager of the Linfen Gas Production Management Area of PetroChina's Coalbed Methane Co.

When burned to generate electricity, coalbed methane produces roughly 50 percent less carbon dioxide than traditional coal.

Despite intensified global exploration, China is the first country to achieve large-scale deep coalbed methane development, with industry standards being rapidly formulated that could eventually become international norms.

"Every extra meter drilled is a challenge to our limit," said Wang Wei, manager of the Exploration and Development Construction Branch of PetroChina's Coalbed Methane Co. To tackle the complex geological conditions of deep strata, PetroChina developed an integrated geological engineering guidance and 3,000-meter ultra-long horizontal drilling technologies, supporting the scaling up and efficient development of coalbed methane.

Coalbed methane is an unconventional natural gas resource and has vast exploration and development potential. With methane content ranging from 95 to 98 percent and minimal impurities, requiring only simple dehydration for use, it can be integrated into long-distance natural gas pipelines and urban networks.