China has completed high-temperature, high-pressure well drilling in the South China Sea which can contribute to providing clean energy and drive the development of the country's real economy, experts said.
"The successful drilling is further proof that we have mastered high-temperature, high-pressure well drilling, and has provided strong support for the future construction of the natural gas reserve area in the South China Sea," Li Zhong, the chief engineer of the Western South China Sea Oil Administration Bureau of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), told China National Radio (CNR).
Li said the South China Sea is rich in oil and gas reserves while the exploitation difficulty is among the highest in the world, which makes the successful drilling of great significance.
The well is located in the South China Sea's Yinggehai Basin. The temperature of the well reaches 200 degrees Celsius with a pressure coefficient of 2.28, while the well's bottom hole pressure is close to 1,000 atmospheres, CNR reported on Tuesday.
Li also mentioned that along with the development of exploitation methods, it also drives the development of the country's real economy, such as machinery manufacturing and shipbuilding.
The application of the well drilling system has achieved a direct financial benefit of 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) and an indirect economic benefit of 300 billion yuan, Li said.
The country's first high-temperature, high-pressure deepwater exploration well, the Lingshui 25-1S-1 deepwater well, was drilled in 2015 by CNOOC, 140 kilometers south of Hainan Island, at a depth of one kilometer beneath the sea and at over 150 degrees Celsius, Xinhua News Agency reported.
