CNOOC Ltd. announced Sept. 30 that it made a large-sized discovery of Kenli 10-2 in Bohai, which is located in Laizhou Bay Sag in Southern Bohai Bay, with an average water depth of about 15.7 m.

The main oil-bearing formation of Kenli 10-2 oilfield is in the lower member of Neogene Minghuazhen Formation and the oil properties are conventional heavy oil. The discovery well Kenli 10-2-4 was drilled and completed at a depth of 1,520 m and encountered oil pay zones with a total thickness of approximately 27 m. The appraisal well was tested to produce approximately 569 barrels of oil per day.

Xu Changgui, general manager of exploration department of the company said, "The successful discovery of the Kenli 10-2 oil field marked the breakthrough in discovery of lithological oilfield with reserve of 100 million tons in the shallow depression zone of the Bohai oilfields, demonstrated the broad prospects for exploration of lithological structures in the Bohai, and has great significance as a guide for exploration in similar basins."

Earlier this year, CNOOC made another large-sized oil and gas discovery in Bohai Bay. The Bozhong 13-2 structure is located in the south-western Ring of Bozhong Sag in Bohai Bay with an average water depth of about 23.2 m. The discovery well BZ13-2-2 was drilled and completed at a depth of 5,223 m.