CNOOC Ltd. successfully discovered and received approval by the Chinese authorities on proved gas in-place for over 100 Bcm at the Lingshui 36-1 gas field in the South China Sea, CNOOC announced Aug. 7.

Lingshui 36-1 is the world’s first large, ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deep water, the Beijing-based company said. The field has been tested to produce over 10 MMcm/d of absolute open flow natural gas.

Located in the southern portion of the Central Sag, Qiongdongnan Basin, the field’s average water depth is approximately 1,500 m with a burial depth of 210 m.

The total proved gas in-place in the South China Sea has exceeded 1 Tcm, CNOOC said. Multiple large-size gas fields have been discovered in the Yinggehai, Qiongdongnan and Pearl River Mouth basins.

Ultra-shallow gas reservoirs are “important” sources of hydrocarbon in deep waters, despite its challenges to develop, according to Xu Changgui, CNOOC’s chief geologist.

“CNOOC Limited has adopted new exploration concepts on the formation mechanism and new technological approaches to tackle the challenges,” Changgui said. “The successful discovery of Lingshui 36-1 has opened up the new area of exploration for gas resources in ultra-deep-water ultra-shallow plays."

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