China boasts bubbling crude discovery – oil that is, 107 million tonnes – in Henan province, adding fuel to energy-security drive
- Drilling finds what looks to be the foundation for a new oil-and-gas resource base in a central region, and it should help the world’s biggest industrial producer reduce reliance on oil imports
- Analysts say the ‘important discovery’ could account for nearly one-third of China’s total oil and gas production
China has discovered what could amount to 107 million tonnes of crude oil in its central region – a quantity equivalent to more than half of the nation’s production in 2023 – as authorities intensify efforts to enhance energy security and rely less on oil imports.
The presence of the abundant oilfield was verified while drilling in the Sanmenxia basin of Henan province, according to the state-run Henan Daily, which said the estimated size was announced by the China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“The field has the foundation for building a new oil-and-gas resource base,” said party mouthpiece CCTV, which described the discovery as a milestone in the 50-year oil-and-gas survey conducted in the province.
Crude oil is unrefined petroleum extracted directly from the ground, and it is widely used in industries related to garments, chemicals, medicine and aerospace.