China's DeepSea No.1 oil & gas extraction platform conducts remote-control operation

China's DeepSea No.1 oil & gas extraction platform operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has conducted trial of remote-control operation, becoming world's first remote-controlled deep-sea oil & gas extraction platform that can work in extreme weather.

The DeepSea No.1 can add an estimated 60 million cubic meters of natural gas output each year, and can meet the annual gas demand for 470,000 Chinese households, according to a statement sent from the CNOOC to the Global Times on Monday. 

The DeepSea No.1 is located in the sea area near South China's Hainan Province, where the platform often faces challenges from extreme weather in nearby deep sea areas. 

CNOOC said that research team assessed series of indicators recorded during the platform operating in extreme weather conditions, and made over 270 relevant improvement plans and response measurements to realize remote operation.

The DeepSea No.1 has also conducted multiple explorations in intelligent and digitalized application to the deep-sea oil & gas extraction field, including sound and light detection equipment and 5G network communication. 

In addition, data produced during the operation of the platform including ship management, gas reserve monitoring and deep-sea operation visualization, will be shared with domestic and overseas research institutes and universities, in order to enhance China's advantage in deep-sea oil & gas extraction field, the statement read.

The DeepSea No.1 has annual capacity of 3 billion cubic meters, and has produced 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas accumulatively, since the platform entered the official operation in June 2021.