China Discovers 427 Million Metric Tons of Oil in Sanmenxia Basin

The China Geological Survey (CGS) recently revealed the discovery of an astounding 427 million metric tons of oil in the Sanmenxia Basin, highlighting the exploration abilities of smaller and medium-sized basins across the country. This announcement was made on Wednesday, with CGS designating the Sanmenxia Basin as a vital area for breakthroughs in exploration for these types of basins in 2024. This led to the successful identification of a maximum daily industrial oil output of 15.83 cubic meters, which represents the region's first major oil and gas breakthrough.

In response to this initial success, the CGS, in collaboration with the Henan provincial government and pertinent enterprises, drilled two additional wells in the basin. These efforts yielded maximum daily industrial oil outputs of 15.5 and 92.52 cubic meters, which further validates the Sanmenxia Basin's oil and gas potential and enhances optimism regarding future drilling operations.

Situated in western Henan province and the northwestern portion of the Southern North China Basin, the Sanmenxia Basin covers an area of 4,550 square kilometers and serves as a prime example of small and medium-sized basins. While China houses 356 of such basins, only 89 have been assessed for their resources as of 2020, according to the CGS. The successful exploration in the Sanmenxia Basin underscores the significant resource potential that remains in the 267 basins yet to be evaluated, suggesting that more discoveries could vastly improve China’s oil and gas security in the future.