China's First Shale Gas Next Year

China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec) will begin producing gas from a shale gas project in Sichuan in early June, Caixin Online said citing a company statement. This would be the first such production of shale gas in the country.  

This project in Fuling, Sichuan, and will be completed by two subsidiaries of Sinopec: Jianghan Oilfield and Exploration Southern Co. Jianghan Oilfield is responsible for production and output, and Exploration Southern Co. conducted exploratory work.

Two shale wells – Xinglong 101 and Fushi 1 – will be the first to produce, the news report said.

In 2010, a Sinopec subsidiary teamed up with BP Plc., of the United Kingdom, to explore shale gas in Guizhou Province, also in China’s southwest. In 2011, the Exploration Southern Co. conducted geological research with Exxon Mobil Corp. in Sichuan Province.