China has begun drilling a 10,000-meter hole into the ground for the second time this year as it searches for ultra-deep natural gas reserves.
China National Petroleum Corp. began drilling the Shendi Chuanke 1 well in Sichuan province on Thursday, with a design depth of 10,520 meters (6.5 miles), Xinhua news agency reported. The project follows a similar-sized well that CNPC began drilling in Xinjiang in May, described at the time as the deepest ever drilled in China.
While the previous well was described as experimental in nature, with the project designed to test drilling technologies and provide data on the Earth’s internal structure, the Sichuan company is looking to find ultra-deep reserves of natural gas, according to Xinhua.
Sichuan, the southeastern province known for spicy food, spectacular mountain views and pandas, is also home to some of China’s largest shale gas reserves. The nation’s state-owned oil giants have had only limited success tapping into its potential, however, because of the difficult terrain and complicated underground geology.
China’s government has pressured energy companies in recent years to improve fuel security by increasing domestic production amid a series of energy shortages, geopolitical conflicts and global price volatility.
