CNPC discovers major coalbed methane reserve in Ordos Basin

China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the nation's top oil and gas producer, has uncovered a major deep coalbed methane (CBM) field with newly proven geological reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters in the Ordos Basin.

The massive reserve was confirmed in North China's Shanxi province, marking a major technological and exploratory breakthrough in China's deep CBM extraction capabilities, providing vital new ballast for safeguarding national energy security.

Deep coalbed methane—typically referring to natural gas trapped in coal seams buried at depths exceeding 1,500 meters—has rapidly emerged as a strategic frontier for China's unconventional natural gas sector. With continuous innovations in horizontal well drilling and volume fracturing technologies, Chinese energy majors have overcome long-standing geological complexities to unlock resources once considered difficult to commercialize.

Driven by sustained exploration efforts across key resource basins, China's cumulative proven geological reserves of deep CBM had surpassed 1 trillion cubic meters by the end of 2025, solidifying the resource's role as a key contributor to domestic gas output.

The breakthrough comes as China accelerates the exploration and development of domestic oil and gas resources to ensure energy self-reliance while advancing its green transition. Serving as a crucial bridging fuel, natural gas plays an indispensable role in peak shaving for power grids, industrial fuel substitution, and clean transport, making domestic reserve additions essential for stabilizing energy supplies and anchoring macroeconomic resilience.