Sinopec announces discovery of new shale oil reserve in southwest China

中国石油化工股份有限公司宣布在西南地区发现新的页岩油储量

BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Sinopec, China's largest oil refiner, announced on Thursday the discovery of a new shale oil reserve estimated at 100 million tonnes in Sichuan Basin in southwest China.

新华社北京10月23日电 记者日前从中国最大的炼油企业中国石化获悉，该公司在中国西南部的四川盆地发现了估算储量达1亿吨的新页岩油。

The company said that the discovery was made in the Qijiang District of Chongqing Municipality. An exploratory well drilled at the site has achieved a flow rate of 38.64 cubic meters of oil and 10,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day during test production, it said.

中国石化表示，该发现位于重庆市綦江区。在试生产期间，该地点的一口探井已实现每天38.64立方米的原油和10,000立方米的天然气产量。

Shale oil mainly refers to liquid hydrocarbons trapped in formations of shale rock that can be extracted for refining. It is often found in organic-rich shale and thin interlayers of carbonate rock, sandstone and siltstone. As an unconventional oil and gas resource, it also contributes to stable crude oil production in China.

页岩油主要是指滞留在页岩岩层中的液态碳氢化合物，经开采后可以提取用于炼制。它常见于富含有机质的页岩和碳酸盐岩、砂岩和粉砂岩的薄夹层中。作为非常规油气资源，对我国原油稳产具有贡献。

Sinopec has continued to increase efforts in shale oil exploration and development, having identified three new large-scale shale oil fields. Last year, the company's annual shale oil production reached 705,000 tonnes, up 308,000 tonnes from the previous year.

中国石化持续加大页岩油勘探开发力度，确定了3个新的大型页岩油油田。去年该公司页岩油年产量达到70.5万吨，较上年增加30.8万吨。