China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the country's largest offshore crude oil and natural gas producer, has just officially announced the full operation of Phase 1 of the Kenli 10-2 oil field located in the southern Bohai Sea region. This move marks an important step forward in Beijing's strategy to reduce dependence on imported energy.
Technical Breakthrough at Kenli Oil Field 10-2
The Kenli 10-2 oil field cluster is considered China's largest offshore shallow-layer lithological oil field and is designed to be developed in stages. With Phase 1 officially in full operation, current exploitation output has reached an impressive level, contributing significantly to the country's total domestic crude oil output.
The most notable point of this project lies in its complex geological characteristics. According to CNOOC representatives, Kenli 10-2 is China's first offshore development project for a heavy oil reservoir with a "branch" structure. The structure is characterized by dispersed sand bodies that are narrow, thin and extremely complex to access and exploit.
To overcome this challenge, CNOOC has invested heavily in modern infrastructure.
Table 1: Technical Specifications of Phase 1 - Kenli 10-2 Oil Field
| Category Infrastructure / Engineering | Detailed information |
| Operator | CNOOC Corporation (China) |
| Location | South of the Bohai Sea |
| Geological characteristics | Shallow-layer petrographic oil field, "branch-type" heavy oil reservoir |
| Phase 1 output | More than 20,500 barrels of crude oil/day (bpd) |
| Core infrastructure | - 01 new central processing rig - 02 automatic well rigs (unmanned) - 79 development wells |
| Previous milestone | Start heavy oil exploitation in mid-2025 |
Strategy to Promote Domestic Exploitation
The commissioning of the Kenli 10-2 was not a single event. Similar to other state-owned energy corporations in China, CNOOC is having to accelerate domestic oil and gas exploration and production activities. This is a direct order from the central government to strengthen national energy security, in the context of global geopolitical fluctuations that could threaten imported supplies.
Thanks to this strategy, CNOOC has continuously recorded record high production levels in recent years, with the peak set in 2024 and continued to be broken in 2025.
The Rise of Shale Gas With Sinopec Group
Besides CNOOC, other Chinese energy giants are also recording outstanding achievements on land, especially in the field of shale oil and gas exploitation.
China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) recently increased production from the Jiyang shale oil facility in Shandong province by bringing 10 new wells into operation.
Most notably, Sinopec has just announced the discovery of a giant super-deep shale gas field after receiving government approval for geological reserves. The Ziyang Dongfeng mine (Siyang Dongfeng) in Sichuan province has just had its reserves confirmed by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, marking the birth of the country's first 100 billion cubic meter ultra-deep shale gas mine.
Table 2: Sinopec's Domestic Energy Breakthroughs
| Project Name / Location | Field | Outstanding Achievements |
| Jiyang facility, Shandong | Shale Oil | Successfully increased production by putting 10 new exploitation wells into operation. |
| Ziyang Dongfeng Mine, Sichuan | Shale Gas is super deep | Geological reserves are proven235.687 billion cubic meters. This is China's first 100 billion cubic meter ultra-deep gas field. |
Conclude
Rapid advances from the Bohai Sea to the inland shale mines of Sichuan are redrawing China's energy landscape. By mastering complex exploitation technologies (such as tributary oil fields or ultra-deep shale gas), China is not only increasing domestic production but is also building a solid "shield" to protect the economy against shocks from the global energy market.
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